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tihravy  of  t:he  t:heolo0ical  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


•d^D* 


BV  2060  .M28  1907 
McLean,  Archibald,  1850 

1920. 
Where  the  Book  speaks 


/WtJox^v 


A-JLU^M 


J2^>^MV  ^ 


Where  the  Book  Speaks 


'  Or 

Mission  Studies  in  the  6 


By  ^  > 
ARCHIBALD  McLEAN 

President  of  the  Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society 
And  author  of''  Missionary  Addresses  "  "  Hand- 
Book  of  Missions;'  and  "  A  Circuit  of  the  Globe  " 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.   Revell  Company 

London  and        Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1907,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto:  2 "5  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      100    Princes    Street 


Foreword 

OF  making  missionary  books  there  is  no  end.  Mis- 
sionary biographies  and  autobiographies ;  missionary 
histories ;  works  on  the  non-Christian  religions,  on  the 
different  fields,  on  missionary  problems,  theories  and  methods; 
reports  of  missionary  conferences ;  missionary  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses, come  from  the  press  in  a  perpetual  stream.  These 
works  are  of  the  greatest  value,  and  cannot  be  read  too  widely. 
This  book  is  somewhat  different.  Its  aim  is  to  show  the  con- 
nection between  missions  and  the  Bible.  The  missionary  idea 
runs  like  golden  cord  through  all  revelation.  In  Genesis  we 
have  the  promise  of  a  Saviour;  in  Revelation  we  have  the 
beatific  vision  of  a  world  evangelized  and  redeemed.  The 
New  Testament  was  written  by  missionaries  who  were  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight.  They  had  a  missionary  purpose  in  mind. 
They  wished  to  enlist  all  mankind  under  the  banner  of  Christ, 
and  to  teach  the  enlisted  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
Christ  had  commanded.  The  "Studies"  that  constitute  this 
volume  were  prepared  with  no  thought  of  publication.  They 
are  published  because  some  who  heard  them  felt  that  they 
would  help  many  busy  people  and  many  who  do  not  have  ac- 
cess to  the  literature  of  the  subject.  I  make  no  claim  to  pro- 
fundity or  to  originality.  In  writing  I  have  had  the  plain  peo- 
ple and  young  people  in  mind,  and  not  missionary  experts.  I 
have  availed  myself  of  the  results  of  the  labours  of  commenta- 
tors and  other  students  in  the  same  field,  giving  credit  where  I 
knew  credit  was  due.  My  one  aim  has  been  to  give  the  thought 
of  God  as  it  is  related  to  missions,  not  in  words  which  man's 
wisdom  teaches,  but  in  words  which  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches. 

5 


6  Foreword 

On  this  account  I  have  not  hesitated  to  repeat  the  same  Scrip- 
tural passages  over  and  over  again.  If  I  can  lodge  the  truth 
of  God  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  readers,  I  shall  be 
more  than  satisfied. 

Archibald  McLean. 

Cincinnati. 


Contents 


I.  The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Vol- 

ume    

II.  The  Missionary  Idea  in  the  Old  Testa 

MENT 

III.  The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution 

IV.  A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of 

Christ 

V.  The  Missionary   Significance  of    the 

Lord's  Prayer  .... 

VI.  Five  Loaves  and  Two  Fishes 

VII.  The  Good  Samaritan 

VIII.  The  Great  Commission  According  to 

Luke 

IX.  The  Divine  Order  in  Missions 

X.  Missions  in  the  Early  Years  of  Chris 

TIANITY 

XL  Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions 

XII.  The  New  Testament  Model  Church 

XIII.  Two  New  Testament  Churches    . 

XIV.  The  Call  from  Macedonia  for  Help 

XV.  The  Grace  of  Giving     . 

XVI.  "  In  the   Matter  of  Giving  and  Re 

ceiving" 

XVII.  "  Fellowship  in  Furtherance  of  the 

Gospel" 

XVIII.  "  Make  Me  a  Little  Cake  First  " 

XIX.  "  A  God  that  Loves  Us  " 

XX.  Christianity  Triumphant 

XXI.  Christian    Unity    and    World  -  Wide 

Evangelism       .... 

7 


22 
31 

42 

53 
67 

77 

99 

108 
121 
136 
144 

157 
167 

183 

188 
194 
200 
213 

227 


Where  the  Book  Speaks 


THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  A  MISSIONARY  VOLUME 

Hear,    O    heavens,  and  give  ear,   O  earth;  for   Jehovah  hath 
spoken. — Is  A.  1:2. 

THIS  book  that  we  call  the  New  Testament  is  a  mis- 
sionary volume.  It  is  the  greatest  missionary  volume 
that  has  ever  been  written  or  that  ever  will  be  written. 
Every  part  of  it  has  missionary  significance.  The  man  who 
would  understand  it  must  read  it  with  this  thought  in  mind. 
The  Gospels  furnish  the  missionary  with  his  message.  They 
state  the  great  truth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  liv- 
ing God,  and  they  furnish  the  evidence  of  that  proposition. 
By  virtue  of  His  death  on  the  cross  He  became  the  author  of 
eternal  redemption  to  as  many  as  should  obey  Him.  By  His  res- 
urrection from  among  the  dead  He  was  declared  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  spirit  of  holiness.  Paul 
told  the  Corinthians  that  the  gospel  he  preached  to  them  was 
this,  '*  That  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  that  He  was  buried  ;  and  that  He  hath  been  raised  on 
the  third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures."  All  four  evangel- 
ists record  these  facts.  They  give  large  space  to  them,  be- 
cause these  facts  are  fundamental  in  the  Christian  system ;  be- 
cause without  the  death  and  burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ 
there  could  be  no  gospel  for  men  to  preach. 

The  personal  ministry  of  Jesus  was  confined  to  Palestine. 
He  said  He  was  not  sent  but  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 

9 


lo  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Israel.  Nevertheless  His  teaching  showed  that  the  whole  world 
and  all  the  people  that  dwell  therein  were  included  in  His  pro- 
gram. His  aims  and  purposes  were  not  parochial  or  provincial 
or  even  national ;  they  were  universal.  He  was  the  original 
imperiahst.  So  we  hear  Him  say,  "  And  other  sheep  have  I 
which  are  not  of  this  fold  :  them  also  must  I  bring,  and  they 
shall  hear  My  voice;  and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
shepherd."  We  hear  Him  say,  "  For  God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on 
Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  For  God  sent  not 
the  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world ;  but  that  the  world 
should  be  saved  through  Him."  We  hear  Him  say,  '*  I  am  the 
light  of  the  world ;  he  that  foUoweth  Me  shall  not  walk  in  the 
darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life."  Again,  *'  And  I,  if 
I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me." 
Once  more,  "  And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preached 
in  the  whole  world  for  a  testimony  to  all  the  nations  ;  and  then 
shall  the  end  come."  It  was  to  a  sinful  woman  of  Samaria 
that  He  addressed  some  of  the  greatest  words  that  ever  fell  on 
human  ears ;  it  was  to  that  sinful  woman  that  He  announced 
that  He  was  the  Messiah,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  It  was 
while  listening  to  a  Roman  centurion  that  He  marvelled  and 
said,  <*  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel.  And 
I  say  unto  you  that  many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  the  west, 
and  shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  At  the  time  of  His  birth  wise  men  from 
the  east  came  to  Bethlehem  and  fell  down  and  worshipped  Him ; 
and  opening  their  treasures  they  offered  Him  gifts,  gold  and 
frankincense  and  myrrh.  Towards  the  end  of  His  earthly 
career  some  Greeks  went  up  to  the  feast  and  said  to  one  of  His 
disciples,  "  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus."  When  He  heard  of  this 
request  He  said,  "  The  hour  is  come,  that  the  Son  of  man 
should  be  glorified."  The  wise  men  from  the  east  and  these 
Greeks  were  the  first-fruits  of  that  great  multitude  that  John 
saw  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb,  arrayed  in  white 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     1 1 

robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands,  a  multitude  that  no  man  could 
number,  out  of  every  nation  and  of  all  tribes  and  peoples  and 
tongues. 

Our  Lord  reminded  His  own  people  that  there  were  many 
widows  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  when  the  heavens  were 
shut  up  three  years  and  six  months,  when  there  came  a  great 
famine  over  all  the  land,  but  to  none  of  them  was  the  prophet 
sent,  but  only  to  Zarephath,  in  the  land  of  Sidon,  unto  a 
woman  that  was  a  widow.  There  were  many  lepers  in  Israel 
in  the  time  of  Elisha  the  prophet;  and  none  of  them  was 
cleansed,  but  only  Naaman  the  Syrian.  All  through  His  minis- 
try He  was  trying  to  show  that  God  was  the  Father  of  the 
spirits  of  all  flesh ;  and  that  His  sympathies  were  as  wide  as  the 
race.  In  His  parables  and  miracles  there  are  clear  intimations 
of  the  world-wide  scope  of  the  religion  which  He  founded. 
The  Roman,  the  Samaritan,  the  Canaanite,  the  publican  and 
the  sinful  were  among  His  beneficiaries.  No  soul  that  came  to 
Him  was  sent  away  empty. 

The  name  given  to  the  twelve  men  that  He  appointed  that 
they  might  be  with  Him,  and  that  He  might  send  them  forth  to 
preach,  and  to  have  authority  to  cast  out  demons,  indicates  that 
Christianity  is  essentially  a  missionary  religion.  These  men 
were  to  carry  on  all  that  He  began  to  do  and  to  teach.  Luke 
tells  us  that  He  named  them  apostles  or  missionaries.  They 
were  not  theologians  or  ecclesiastics  or  prelates  or  philosophers, 
but  messengers.  They  were  to  go  out  as  witnesses.  They  were 
to  declare  what  they  had  heard,  what  they  had  seen  with  their 
eyes,  what  they  beheld,  what  their  hands  had  handled,  con- 
cerning the  Word  of  life.  These  men  incarnated  the  missionary 
passion;  they  were  what  their  names  signified.  "  And  every 
day,  in  the  temple  and  at  home,  they  ceased  not  to  teach  and 
to  preach  Jesus  as  the  Christ."  The  authorities  complained 
that  they  had  filled  Jerusalem  with  their  teaching.  A  little  later 
it  was  said  of  them  that  they  had  turned  the  world  upside 
down.     Before  they  went  to  their  reward  they  testified  that  the 


12  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

gospel  had  been  preached  and  was  bearing  fruit  in  all  creation 
under  heaven. 

The  Gospels  culminate  in  the  great  commission.  All  that 
goes  before  leads  up  to  this  and  prepares  for  it.  All  that  fol- 
lows in  the  New  Testament  is  a  result  of  the  carrying  out  of 
the  commission  by  the  apostles  and  their  associates.  When 
our  Lord  sent  these  men  out  on  their  first  preaching  tour,  He 
told  them  that  they  were  not  to  go  into  any  way  of  the 
Gentiles,  nor  to  enter  any  city  of  the  Samaritans ;  they  were  to 
go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Now  their 
field  is  the  world.  They  were  to  go  in  all  directions,  into 
*' regions  Caesar  never  knew,  where  his  eagles  never  flew," 
and  to  give  the  inhabitants  a  knowledge  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  the  Crucified.  The  word  of  command  was,  "Go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole 
creation."  They  were  to  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and 
of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  they  were  to  teach  those  who  accepted 
their  message  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  Christ  had 
commanded.  Warneck  shows  that  the  gospel  necessarily 
issues  in  a  missionary  commandment.  "It  is  penetrated 
through  and  through  by  thoughts  of  universal  salvation,  which 
make  it  a  religion  for  the  whole  world."  Nothing  is  more 
deeply  imbedded  in  Christianity  than  its  universality.  The 
commission  is  not  "  a  counsel  of  perfection  "  ;  it  is  a  positive 
command  enforcing  on  the  disciples  what  their  Lord  had  spent 
His  ministerial  life  in  doing,  and  directing  a  course  of  action 
which  is  so  essential  and  inseparable  a  part  of  the  plan  of 
salvation  that  it  is  impossible  to  neglect  it  without  wrecking 
the  whole  scheme.  The  great  commission  contemplates  the 
evangelization  of  the  whole  wide  world.  Nothing  short  of  this 
answers  to  the  sublime  conceptions  and  aims  of  its  Author. 

The  critics  have  had  much  to  say  about  the  Gospels,  about 
their  composition  and  authorship  and  date  and  credibility; 
but  no  one  has  ventured  to  deny  their  missionary  significance. 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     13 

No  one  has  charged  that  their  missionary  teaching  and  spirit 
are  interpolations.  The  apostles  were  incapable  of  in- 
terpolating the  missionary  teaching  of  the  Gospels.  They 
were  Jews  and  had  all  the  limitations  of  their  race.  They 
lacked  the  cosmopolitanism  of  Christ.  "For  Him  there  were 
no  race  prejudices,  no  party  lines,  no  sectarian  limits,  no 
favoured  nation.  There  was  nothing  between  His  love  and  the 
world.  His  heart  beat  for  the  world — and  on  Calvary  broke 
for  the  world."  It  was  only  in  such  a  heart  that  the 
missionary  enterprise  could  be  conceived. 

The  Gospels  are  missionary  documents.  Their  name 
indicates  their  nature.  They  are  good  tidings.  They  are  not 
"tidings"  at  all  except  to  such  as  are  ignorant  of  them. 
They  are  not  ''good  "  except  to  those  who  hear  them.  The 
messenger  who  loitered  with  the  king's  pardon  till  the  prisoner 
was  executed  did  not  bring  good  tidings.  The  pardon  was 
not  worth  the  parchment  upon  which  it  was  written.  Tidings 
that  are  not  made  known  possess  only  potential  value.  It  is  of 
the  very  essence  of  good  tidings  that  they  be  proclaimed. 
The  first  impulse  in  a  healthy  mind  on  hearing  a  good  thing  is 
to  pass  it  on.  Philip  and  Andrew  heard  of  Jesus,  and  their 
first  concern  was  to  bring  their  own  brothers  to  Him.  When 
the  apostles  were  strictly  charged  not  to  speak  at  all  nor  teach 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  they  said,  "  We  cannot  but  speak  the 
things  we  saw  and  heard."  They  could  not  keep  the  good 
news  to  themselves  ;  they  could  die  more  easily.  It  is  evident 
that  missions  are  a  vital  function  in  the  Christian  system. 
They  are  included  in  its  very  essence.  They  are  of  its  warp 
and  woof;  they  are  not  a  fringe  or  tassel  on  the  garment. 
The  apostles  understood  this.  As  soon  as  they  received  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  they  went  out  and  preached  every- 
where ;  the  Lord  worked  with  them  and  confirmed  the  word 
with  the  signs  that  followed.  These  signs  demonstrated  the 
fact  that  they  had  correctly  interpreted  the  meaning  of  His 
parting  charge. 


14  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

The  booked  called  "  The  Acts,"  what  is  it  ?  It  is  sometimes 
spoken  of  as  the  book  of  conversions.  And  it  is  that,  in  part. 
Quite  a  number  of  conversions  are  recorded  on  its  pages. 
The  apostles  spoke  as  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
Many  of  those  who  heard  were  convicted  of  sin  and  asked  with 
much  concern  what  they  should  do.  They  were  told  what  to 
do  by  men  who  were  not  giving  their  own  thoughts,  but  the 
thoughts  of  God.  This  book  is  sometimes  called  the  gospel  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  And  it  is  that,  in  part.  The  Holy  Spirit 
descended  upon  that  little  company  assembled  in  the  upper 
room  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  early  church  was  guided  in  its 
thought  and  speech  and  conduct  and  in  all  its  ministries  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  But  The  Acts  is  first  of  all  and  last  of  all 
and  most  of  all  an  inspired  record  of  the  missionary  activity  of 
the  church  in  the  first  decades  of  its  existence.  Here  is  the 
core  of  the  book,  *'  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  come  upon  you ;  and  ye  shall  be  My  witnesses  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  That  is  its  main  thesis,  and  all 
the  rest  is  commentary  and  illustration.  I  have  sometimes 
thought  that  a  stranger  coming  into  one  of  our  assemblies 
might  conclude  that  we  regarded  the  thirty-eighth  verse  of  the 
second  chapter  as  the  heart  of  the  book.  But  to  do  that 
would  be  to  miss  its  meaning,  great  and  important  as  that 
verse  is,  and  rightly  as  we  have  emphasized  it. 

For  the  first  few  years  Peter  was  the  leader ;  because  to 
him  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  were  given.  While  Peter  was 
the  leader  the  gospel  was  preached  throughout  Judea  and 
Samaria  and  Galilee  and  at  some  few  points  beyond  the  limits 
of  Palestine.  In  course  of  time  Paul  appears  on  the  scene. 
He  was  peculiarly  qualified  by  natural  gifts  and  by  training  for 
leadership.  After  some  years  Peter  and  Paul  divided  the  field 
between  them.  Peter  went  to  the  Jews;  Paul  went  to  the 
outside  nations.  We  know  what  followed.  At  once  Peter 
retired   into   the   background.     Paul   came  to  the  front  and 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     15 

filled  the  whole  stage,  and  almost  two-thirds  of  The  Acts  are 
occupied  with  the  records  of  Paul's  missionary  travels  and 
sermons  and  trials  and  experiences  while  serving  Christ  as  a 
foreign  missionary.  The  last  glimpse  we  have  of  him  he  is  in 
the  capital  of  the  empire  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
teaching  the  things  concerning  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all 
boldness,  none  forbidding  him.  There  the  curtain  falls,  and 
we  see  him  no  more. 

The  Epistles,  what  are  they  ?  For  the  most  part  they  are 
letters  written  by  missionaries  to  mission  churches  which  they 
had  founded.  The  field  was  large.  The  apostles  were  few  in 
number.  Facilities  for  getting  about  were  not  as  complete  then 
as  they  are  now.  Many  problems  were  pressing  for  solution  in 
these  churches  gathered  out  of  Judaism  and  out  of  Paganism. 
The  same  questions  that  confront  missionaries  to-day,  questions 
relating  to  idolatry,  polygamy,  caste,  slavery,  drunkenness, 
extortion,  reviling,  the  right  relation  between  the  sexes,  the 
nurture  of  children,  and  kindred  questions,  confronted  the 
church  in  the  first  century.  Sometimes  the  apostles  could  go 
in  person  and  settle  these  questions.  Sometimes  they  could 
not  go ;  then  they  wrote  letters  and  discussed  them.  In  the 
providence  of  God  these  letters  have  come  down  to  us,  and 
they  constitute  the  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  the  Epistles  are  missionary  documents ;  they 
must  be  read  as  such  by  those  who  wish  to  have  a  clew  to  their 
meaning.  The  Christian  communities  addressed  were  all  far 
from  Jerusalem,  the  birthplace  of  the  church.  These  com- 
munities were  located  in  Rome,  Corinth,  Galatia,  Ephesus, 
Philippi,  Colossae,  Thessalonica,  Pontus,  Cappadocia,  Asia, 
and  Bithynia.  These  peoples  had  been  won  to  Christ  by 
missionary  endeavour. 

In  these  Epistles  we  read,  "  Is  God  fhe  God  of  the  Jews 
only  ?  Is  He  not  the  God  of  Gentiles  also  ?  Yea,  of  Gentiles 
also :  if  so  be  that  God  is  one,  and  He  shall  justify  the  cir- 
cumcision  by  faith,  and  the  uncircumcision  through  faith." 


i6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

God  is  represented  as  saying,  '*  I  will  call  that  My  people 
which  was  not  My  people;  and  her  beloved,  that  was  not 
beloved."  "For  there  is  no  distinction  between  the  Jew  and 
the  Greek ;  for  the  same  Lord  is  Lord  of  all,  and  is  rich  unto 
all  that  call  upon  Him ;  for,  Whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  "  The  Gentiles  are  fellow  heirs, 
and  fellow  members  of  the  body,  and  fellow  partakers  of  the 
promise  in  Christ  Jesus  through  the  gospel."  John  speaks  of 
those  who  went  forth  for  the  sake  of  the  Name,  taking  nothing 
of  the  Gentiles,  and  adds,  "  We  ought  therefore  to  welcome 
such,  that  we  may  be  fellow-workers  for  the  truth." 

The  Pastoral  Epistles  are  full  of  missionary  significance. 
Timothy  was  exhorted  to  tarry  in  Ephesus,  that  he  might 
charge  certain  men  not  to  teach  a  different  doctrine,  neither 
give  heed  to  fables  and  endless  genealogies,  which  minister 
questionings,  rather  than  a  dispensation  of  God,  which  is  of 
faith.  Titus  was  left  at  Crete,  that  he  might  set  in  order  the 
things  that  are  wanting,  and  appoint  elders  in  every  city. 
These  men  were  missionary  agents.  They  were  Paul's  most 
trusted  lieutenants.  In  these  Epistles  we  read,  ^'  There  is  one 
God,  one  Mediator  also  between  God  and  man.  Himself  man, 
Christ  Jesus,  who  gave  Himself  a  ransom  for  all,  the  testimony 
to  be  borne  in  its  own  times."  We  read  also  that  '^  the  grace 
of  God  hath  appeared  bringing  salvation  to  all  men." 

The  book  of  Revelation,  what  is  it  ?  There  are  some  things 
in  this  book  that  I  do  not  understand.  I  do  not  think  that  any 
one  understands  them.  I  never  met  but  two  men  who  claimed 
to  understand  all  about  this  book,  and  I  think  they  understood 
less  about  it  than  any  other  two  intelligent  men  with  whom  I 
have  ever  talked  on  the  subject.  We  read  of  a  woman  arrayed 
with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  was  at  her  feet,  and  upon  her  head 
a  crown  of  twelve  stars.  I  do  not  know  what  that  woman 
represented.  The  Christian  Scientists  hold  that  this  woman 
represented  Mrs.  Eddy.  So  in  the  mother  church  in  Boston 
there  is  a  stained  glass  window  showing  the  woman  of  the 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     17 

Apocalypse  clothed  with  the  sun  and  crowned  with  twelve 
stars.  Above  it  is  a  representation  of  the  book,  "  Science  and 
Health."  Columbus  thought  he  was  the  angel  flying  in  mid- 
heaven  having  the  eternal  gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that 
dwell  on  the  earth.  I  think  Mrs.  Eddy's  admirers  and 
Columbus  were  mistaken.  We  are  told  of  a  beast  that  came 
up  out  of  the  sea,  having  ten  horns  and  seven  heads,  and  on 
his  horns  ten  diadems,  and  upon  his  head  names  of  blasphemy. 
This  beast  was  like  a  leopard  and  his  feet  were  as  the  feet  of  a 
bear,  and  his  mouth  as  the  mouth  of  a  lion.  Another  beast 
came  up  out  of  the  earth ;  and  he  had  two  horns  like  unto  a 
lamb,  and  he  spake  as  a  dragon,  and  his  number  is  six  hundred 
and  sixty  and  six.  I  do  not  know  what  these  beasts  repre- 
sented. I  do  not  know  what  much  of  the  imagery  and  many 
of  the  symbols  of  that  book  mean.  But  I  know  what  the  book 
means,  and  that  is  the  main  thing.  If  it  had  been  important 
that  we  should  understand  all  the  imagery  and  all  the  symbols 
of  this  strange  book  I  feel  sure  that  the  Holy  Spirit  would  have 
given  us  some  key  to  their  understanding.  He  has  not  given 
us  any  such  key;  therefore  I  conclude  that  it  is  not  very 
important  whether  we  understand  them  or  not.  The  book  of 
Revelation  is  a  forecast  of  the  final  victory,  when  all  rule,  and 
all  authority,  and  all  power  opposed  to  Christ  shall  be  abol- 
ished, and  when  He  shall  reign  from  pole  to  pole  with  undivided 
and  undisputed  sway.  Here  is  the  heart  of  the  book,  ^'  The 
kingdom  of  this  world  is  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
of  His  Christ,  and  He  shall  reign  forever  and  ever. ' '  John  saw 
the  nations  of  the  saved  walking  in  the  light  of  the  holy  city. 
He  saw  the  kings  of  the  earth  bringing  their  honour  and  their 
glory  into  it.  He  heard  as  it  were  the  voice  of  a  great  multi- 
tude, and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of 
mighty  thunders,  saying,  "  Hallelujah  :  for  the  Lord  our  God, 
the  Almighty,  reigneth."  Every  idol  has  been  abolished. 
Every  false  faith  has  perished.  The  earth  is  full  of  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.     The  eternal  purpose 


i8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

of  God  has  been  consummated.  The  promise  made  in  Genesis 
has  been  fulfilled. 

The  New  Testament,  I  repeat,  is  a  missionary  volume 
throughout.  The  gospels  were  written  by  missionaries.  Mark 
and  Luke  had  been  associates  of  Paul.  These  men  wrote  that 
those  who  had  been  won  and  those  who  might  be  won  to  the 
faith  might  have  a  permanent  and  reliable  record  of  the  great 
facts  upon  which  their  faith  was  founded.  The  Epistles  were 
written  that  the  believers  might  have  a  body  of  teaching  to 
guide  them  in  all  that  relates  to  life  and  godliness.  Guided  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  the  apostles  wrote  these  documents  for  the 
church  of  that  age  and  of  all  ages.  What  the  vertebral  column 
is  to  the  human  body  that  the  missionary  idea  is  to  the  New 
Testament.  One  might  as  well  think  that  he  could  cut  the 
vertebral  column  out  of  the  body  without  destroying  the  body 
as  to  cut  all  that  has  missionary  significance  out  of  this  Book 
without  destroying  the  Book.  One  of  our  most  gifted  men  has 
said  that  if  you  were  to  cut  missions  out  of  the  New  Testament 
it  would  bleed  to  death.  What  would  be  left  ?  The  covers 
and  the  margins  and  perhaps  the  very  short  Epistles  of 
Philemon,  Second  John  and  Jude.  The  Book  as  a  book  would 
be  no  more.  If  there  were  time  to  discuss  the  Old  Testament 
it  would  appear  that  that  is  a  missionary  volume  also.  The 
finest  things  in  the  Law  of  Moses  and  in  the  Prophets  and  in 
the  Psalms  relate  to  the  coming  of  Christ  and  to  the  redemption 
of  the  world  through  Christ.  "  In  Him  shall  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed."  ''Unto  Him  shall  the  obedience  of 
the  peoples  be."  "Of  the  increase  of  His  government  and 
peace  there  shall  be  no  end." 

The  missionary  enterprise  is  no  novelty.  It  is  not  an  inven- 
tion of  William  Carey  or  Samuel  J.  Mills  or  Count  Zinzin- 
dorf;  it  is  as  old  as  Christianity.  The  missionary  idea  is 
coeval  with  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 
The  missionary  cause  did  not  originate  in  any  human  heart  or 
brain ;  it  originated  in  the  love  of  the  eternal  God,  and  Jesus 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     19 

Christ  the  first  missionary  was  the  greatest  expression  of  that 
love.  The  missionary  enterprise  is  of  God,  and  He  is  back  of 
it  giving  it  momentum  and  direction  and  efficiency.  He  goes 
before  to  open  doors ;  He  goes  with  His  servants  to  protect 
and  prosper  them  and  to  bless  them  with  His  wondrous  grace. 
He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He  shall  have  set 
judgment  in  the  earth,  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  His  law.  His 
word  shall  not  return  unto  Him  void ;  it  shall  accomplish  that 
which  He  pleases,  and  prosper  in  the  thing  whereunto  He  has 
sent  it.  Christ  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  shall  be 
satisfied. 

Nor  is  this  a  work  of  small  consequence.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  every  church  in  the  world  to-day  is  the  fruit  of  missions. 
The  church  would  never  have  gained  a  foot-hold  in  the  world 
if  it  had  not  been  for  missions.  Not  only  so,  but  the  church 
would  cease  to  exist  in  a  generation  if  it  were  not  for  missions. 
Every  Christian  nation  on  the  globe  is  the  fruit  of  missions. 
Every  Christian  home,  every  hospital,  every  asylum,  every  hall 
of  legislation,  every  court  of  justice,  every  institution  and  every 
movement  that  has  the  welfare  of  humanity  as  its  object  is  the 
fruit  of  this  divine  enterprise.  We  ourselves,  whether  we  ad- 
mit it  and  thank  God  for  it  or  deny  it,  are  the  fruit  of  missions. 
We  have  only  to  look  into  the  mirror  to  see  one  of  the  greatest 
miracles  of  missions.  Our  forefathers  were  naked  savages ;  the 
gospel  has  made  us  what  we  are,  and  the  gospel  was  brought  to 
our  forefathers  by  missionaries.  The  book  that  underlies  all 
our  missionary  operations  as  a  root  underlies  a  plant,  is  itself  a 
product  of  missions.  This  book  that  has  more  regenerating 
and  refining  power  than  all  the  other  books  in  the  world  com- 
bined could  not  have  come  into  existence  without  the  mission- 
ary propaganda.  What  do  we  owe  to  missions  ?  What  do  we 
not  owe  to  missions  ? 

One  of  the  maxims  most  surely  believed  among  us  is  this, 
*'  Where  the  Scriptures  speak  we  speak  ;  where  the  Scriptures 
are  silent  we  are  silent."     We  say  that  we  accept  the  New 


20  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Testament  as  our  alone-sufficient  and  all-sufficient  rule  of  faith 
and  practice,  and  reject  every  confession  and  dogma  that  claims 
authority  over  the  conscience.  If  we  live  up  to  that  high  claim 
we  will  be  unalterably  and  everlastingly  and  enthusiastically 
committed  to  the  cause  of  world-wide  evangelization.  To  be 
consistent  and  to  be  loyal  to  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  we 
must  give  this  work  the  same  place  in  our  lives,  and  in  our 
worship,  and  in  our  expenditures,  that  it  has  in  the  Book. 

While  this  should  be  our  attitude  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
many  in  our  fellowship  are  opposed  to  missions.  There  are 
others  who  say  this  cause  makes  no  appeal  to  them.  They 
make  it  a  point  to  be  absent  when  its  claims  are  presented. 
They  contribute  nothing  to  its  support.  These  men  are 
members  of  the  churches  and  some  of  them  fill  offices  in  the 
churches.  They  are  interested  in  the  local  work,  but  in  noth- 
ing else.  These  may  be  men  of  good  report  in  their  own 
communities ;  they  may  be  upright  and  honourable  in  all  their 
dealings  ;  their  word  may  be  as  good  as  a  bond  ;  but  they  are 
surely  lacking  in  one  particular  at  least.  They  need  to  mix 
some  intelligence  with  their  honesty  and  veracity.  They  need 
to  read  the  New  Testament  with  open  eyes  and  with  honest 
hearts.  If  they  do  they  will  see  the  missionary  enterprise  in  its 
true  proportions  and  its  true  perspective.  They  will  see  it  as 
Christ  sees  it.  They  will  see,  as  has  been  said,  that  missions 
inhere  in  Christianity,  are  of  its  very  genius  and  substance,  are 
implied  in  its  doctrine,  and  that  if  every  Christian  should 
perish,  the  missionary  enterprise  would  be  reborn  in  the  first 
regenerated  soul.  They  will  see  that  missions  and  Christianity, 
like  liberty  and  union,  are  one  and  inseparable.  Then  they 
will  say  as  Paul  did,  "  Unto  me  who  am  less  than  the  least  of 
all  saints  was  this  grace  given,  that  I  should  preach  among  the 
nations  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 

Every  redeemed  soul  should  know  that  in  opposing  missions 
he  is  opposing  Christ  and  hindering  the  accomplishment  of  the 
work  for  which  He  died  on  the  cross.     To  be  indifferent  to 


The  New  Testament  a  Missionary  Volume     2 1 

missions  is  to  be  indifferent  to  the  cause  that  lies  closest  to  the 
heart  of  Him  whom  we  profess  to  serve.  To  have  no  share  in 
the  greatest  work  ever  given  the  children  of  men  to  do  is  to  in- 
vite self-impoverishment  and  to  miss  the  greatest  blessing  that 
God  is  waiting  to  give  to  those  who  obey  Him.  The  prudent 
and  profitable  thing  to  do  is  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of  Christ 
and  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  help  Him  redeem  the  world.  He 
is  Lord  of  all.  On  His  head  are  many  diadems.  In  His  hand 
is  the  sceptre  of  universal  empire.  On  His  vesture  and  on 
His  thigh  is  the  inscription,  <'King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords."  He  must  reign  until  every  enemy  is  put  under  His 
feet.  It  is  for  every  believer  to  put  himself  in  line  with 
Christ's  gracious  purpose  and  assist  Him  to  the  fullest  in  giv- 
ing the  gospel  of  salvation  to  all  creation  under  heaven. 


II 

THE  MISSIONARY  IDEA  IN  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

And  the  Scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the  Gentiles  by 
faith,  preached  the  gospel  beforehand  unto  Abraham,  saying. 
In  thee  shall  all  the  nations  be  blessed. — Gal.  3:8. 

THE  evangelization  of  the  world  was  in  the  purpose  of 
God  from  the  beginning ;  it  was  not  an  after- 
thought. He  made  of  one  every  nation  of  men  to 
dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth.  He  dealt  bountifully  with 
all  that  they  might  feel  after  Him  and  find  Him.  The  gospel 
was  intended  for  and  adapted  to  every  tribe,  and  tongue,  and 
people,  and  nation.  The  accomplishment  of  this  gracious  in- 
tention is  the  one  far-off,  divine  event  to  which  the  whole 
creation  moves.  It  is  the  consummation  and  crown  of  all 
God's  dealings  with  the  race.  When  the  foundations  of  the 
earth  were  laid,  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the 
sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy.  When  the  work  of  redemption 
shall  be  finished,  all  created  intelligences  shall  ascribe  blessing 
and  honour  and  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever  to  Him 
that  sitteth  on  the  throne  and  to  the  Lamb.  God's  thought 
respecting  the  evangelization  of  the  world  has  a  very  large  and 
prominent  place  in  the  Scriptures.  It  is  the  spinal  column, 
so  to  speak,  and  every  other  part  of  the  entire  system  of  revela- 
tion is  connected  with,  and  depends  upon,  it.  Let  us  trace  this 
thought  in  the  Old  Testament. 

Abram  was  called  to  leave  his  country  and  kindred  and  home. 
He  had  the  promise  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  a  great 
nation  ;  his  name  should  be  great ;  he  should  be  blessed  and  be 
a  blessing  ;  and  in  him  all  the  families  of  the  earth  should  be 

22 


The  Missionary  Idea  in  the  Old  Testament     23 

blessed  (Gen.  12:  1-3).  That  promise  marked  an  epoch  in 
human  history,  as  the  signing  of  the  Great  Charter  at  Run- 
nymede  marked  an  epoch  in  English  history,  as  the  signing  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  marked  an  epoch  in  American 
history.  After  the  trial  of  his  faith  the  promise  was  repeated. 
God  said,  *'  By  Myself  have  I  sworn,  because  thou  hast  done 
this  thing,  and  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son  ;  that 
in  blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply 
thy  seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon 
the  seashore;  and  thy  seed  shall  possess  the  gate  of  his  en- 
emies, and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed  "  (Gen.  22  :  17-18).  The  same  promise  was  made  to 
Isaac.  The  Lord  said  to  him,  "Go  not  down  into  Egypt; 
dwell  in  the  land  I  shall  tell  thee  of;  sojourn  in  this  land,  and  I 
will  be  with  thee,  and  bless  thee,  and  unto  thy  seed  I  will  give 
all  these  lands,  and  I  will  establish  the  oath  which  I  sware  unto 
Abraham  thy  father ;  and  I  will  multiply  thy  seed  as  the  stars 
of  heaven  ;  and  I  will  give  unto  thy  seed  all  these  lands ;  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed  "  (Gen. 
26  :  2-4).  On  the  way  to  Haran  Jacob  lay  down  to  sleep,  and 
saw  a  ladder  whose  top  reached  to  heaven,  and  the  angels  of 
God  ascended  and  descended  upon  it.  Above  it  the  Lord  stood 
and  said,  '*  I  am  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father, 
and  the  God  of  Isaac  ;  the  land  whereon  thou  liest  to  thee  will 
I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed ;  and  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of 
the  earth,  and  thou  shalt  spread  forth  to  the  west,  to  the  east,  to 
the  north,  and  to  the  south  ;  and  in  thee  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all 
the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed  "  (Gen.  28 :  12-14).  The 
blessing  promised  to  Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  descended 
through  Isaac  and  not  through  Ishmael  who  was  a  wild-ass 
among  men ;  and  through  Jacob,  and  not  through  Esau,  who 
was  a  profane  man  and  who  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of 
pottage.  To  each  of  these  patriarchs  it  is  said,  **  In  thy  seed 
shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed. ' '  Each  of  the  three 
was  a  channel  through  which  divinest  blessings  flowed  to  the 


24  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

whole  creation.  In  blessing  his  sons  Jacob  said,  "  The  sceptre 
shall  not  depart  from  Judah  nor  the  ruler's  staff  from  between 
his  feet  until  Shiloh  come ;  and  unto  Him  shall  the  obedience 
of  the  peoples  be  "  (Gen.  49  :  10).  To  Moses  God  said,  *' As 
truly  as  I  live,  all  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  the 
Lord"  (Num.  14:  21).  The  promise  is  confirmed  with  an 
oath,  that  we  might  have  assurance  made  doubly  sure.  Be- 
cause He  could  swear  by  no  greater.  He  sware  by  Himself. 
The  Most  High  entered  into  covenant  relations  with  Abraham 
and  his  seed.  He  constituted  them  the  depositaries  of  His 
revealed  will ;  He  selected  them  as  His  agents  to  communicate 
the  blessings  of  redemption  to  the  whole  world.  *'  Out  of  Zion, 
the  perfection  of  beauty,  God  hath  shined." 

We  find  this  thought  in  the  Psalms.  Thus  we  read,  "Ask 
of  Me,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  nations  for  thine  inheritance, 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession  "  (Ps. 
2  :  8).  Kings  and  rulers  may  oppose ;  their  opposition  shall  not 
prevail.  Again,  *'A11  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember 
and  turn  to  the  Lord ;  and  all  the  kindred  of  the  nations  shall 
worship  before  Thee.  For  the  kingdom  is  the  Lord's  and  He 
is  the  ruler  among  the  nations"  (Ps.  22:  27,  28).  Again, 
"  God  be  merciful  unto  us,  and  bless  us;  and  cause  His  face  to 
shine  upon  us ;  that  Thy  way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  Thy 
saving  health  among  all  nations  "  (Ps.  67  :  1-2).  The  cove- 
nant people  shall  be  blessed  and  through  them  all  the  end  of 
the  earth  shall  be  led  to  fear  Him.  Again,  "  He  shall  have 
dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  They  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  shall  bow 
before  Him,  and  His  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust.  The  kings  of 
Tarshish  and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents ;  the  kings  of 
Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts.  Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down 
before  Him;  all  nations  shall  serve  Him"  (Ps.  72:  8-11). 
His  reign  shall  be  world-wide,  and  it  shall  endure  forever  and 
forevermore.  All  nations  shall  be  blessed  in  Him  ;  all  nations 
shall  call  Him  happy.     Once  more,  "All  nations  whom  Thou 


The  Missionary  Idea  in  the  Old  Testament     25 

hast  made  shall  come  and  worship  before  Thee,  O  Lord,  and 
they  shall  glorify  Thy  name.  For  Thou  art  great,  and  doest 
wondrous  things;  Thou  art  God  alone"  (Ps.  86 :  9,10). 
Among  the  gods  of  the  nations  there  was  none  like  to  Jehovah, 
neither  were  there  any  works  like  unto  His  works.  Blessed  be 
His  glorious  name  forever;  and  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled 
with  His  glory.  In  his  dedicatory  prayer  Solomon  used  similar 
language.  ''  Moreover  concerning  the  stranger,  that  is  not  of 
Thy  people  Israel,  when  he  shall  come  from  Thy  far  country  for 
Thy  great  name's  sake,  and  Thy  mighty  hand,  and  Thy 
stretched  out  arm;  when  they  shall  come  and  pray  towards 
this  house ;  then  hear  Thou  from  heaven,  even  from  Thy  dwell- 
ing place,  and  do  according  to  all  that  the  stranger  calleth  to 
Thee  for ;  that  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth  may  know  Thy 
name,  and  fear  Thee,  as  doth  Thy  people  Israel"  (2  Chron. 
6  :  32,  33). 

The  prophets  spoke  of  God's  world-wide  purpose.     Thus 
Isaiah  said :      "  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  latter  days, 
that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in 
the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills ; 
and  all  nations  shall  flow  into  it.     And  many  nations  shall  go 
and  say.  Come  ye  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the 
Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  He  will  teach  us 
of  His  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  His  paths ;  for  out  of  Zion 
shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusa- 
lem "  (Is.  2  :  2,  3).     The  way  of  a  man  is  not  in  himself;  it  is 
not  in  a  man  that  walks  to  direct  his  steps.     Realizing  this,  all 
nations  shall  seek  divine  guidance.     God  shall  teach  them  of 
His   ways,    and    they  shall  walk   in    His   paths.     This   same 
prophet  said,  ''  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that  the 
root  of  Jesse,  which  standeth  for  an  ensign  of  the  peoples,  unto 
Him  shall  the  nations  seek,  and  His  resting  place  shall  be  glo- 
rious "  (Is.  11:10).     Christ  was  to  be  as  a  banner  under  which 
the  nations  should  rally.     The  spirit  of  the  Lord  should  be 
upon  Him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit 


26  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the  fear 
of  the  Lord.  Righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  His  loins, 
and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  His  reins.  Again,  '*  In  that  day 
shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and  with  Assyria,  a  blessing 
in  the  midst  of  the  earth  ;  for  that  the  Lord  of  hosts  has  blessed 
them  saying,  *  Blessed  be  Egypt  My  people,  and  Assyria  the 
work  of  My  hands,  and  Israel  Mine  inheritance  '  "  (Is.  19  :  25). 
The  blessing  of  Abraham  was  not  to  be  confined  to  one  people. 
For  good  reasons,  Israel  dwelt  alone  for  a  time,  but  no  Chinese 
wall  shut  that  nation  from  all  other  nations.  God  is  the 
Father  of  all,  and  He  desires  the  salvation  of  all.  He  says, 
''  Look  unto  Me,  and  be  ye  saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth; 
for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else.  By  Myself  have  I 
sworn,  the  word  is  gone  forth  from  My  mouth  in  righteousness, 
and  shall  not  return,  that  unto  Me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every 
tongue  shall  swear"  (Is.  45  :  22,  23).  There  were  gods  many 
and  lords  many.  There  were  gods  of  wood  and  stone  and 
silver.  But  Jehovah  said  to  the  makers  and  to  the  worshippers, 
"I  am  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour;  there  is  none  beside  Me." 
Again,  <'  It  is  too  light  a  thing  that  thou  shouldest  be  My 
servant  to  raise  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  to  restore  the  pre- 
served of  Israel ;  I  will  also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles, 
that  thou  mayest  be  My  salvation  unto  the  end  of  the  earth" 
(Is.  49  :  6).  That  was  to  be  the  work  of  His  chosen  people. 
Their  first  concern  was  to  give  the  light  to  them  that  sit  in 
darkness  and  to  guide  their  feet  into  the  way  of  peace.  When 
they  sinned  themselves,  they  were  carried  away  into  captivity ; 
but  God  did  not  forget  them.  For  their  sakes  He  made  bare 
His  holy  arm  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  nations ;  He  caused  all  the 
earth  to  see  His  salvation  of  them.  Because  of  His  discipline 
and  deliverance,  kings  shall  see  and  arise;  princes  and  they 
shall  worship.  We  read  again,  *'  Arise,  shine,  for  thy  light  is 
come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee.  For, 
behold  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the 
peoples;  but  the  Lord  shall  arise  upon  thee,  and  His  glory 


The  Missionary  Idea  in  the  Old  Testament     27 

shall  be  seen  upon  thee.  And  nations  shall  con:ie  to  thy  light, 
and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising  "  (Is.  60  :  1-3).  The 
nations  should  gather  about  that  people  whom  the  Lord  had 
blessed  as  doves  fly  to  their  windows.  The  whole  earth  should 
be  enlightened  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  Again,  "  For  as 
the  earth  bringeth  forth  her  bud,  and  as  the  garden  causeth  the 
things  that  are  sown  in  it  to  spring  forth ;  so  the  Lord  God 
will  cause  righteousness  and  praise  to  spring  forth  before  all  the 
nations"  (Is.  61  :  11).  Contemporaneous  systems  were  tribal 
and  local.  They  had  no  thought  of  being  anything  else.  But 
from  the  first  and  all  along  the  idea  that  the  gospel  is  for  all 
nations  is  made  prominent.  As  the  spirit  of  God  moved  the 
prophet  he  said,  **  For  Zion's  sake  will  I  not  hold  my  peace, 
and  for  Jerusalem's  sake  I  will  not  rest,  until  her  righteousness 
go  forth  as  brightness,  and  her  salvation  as  a  lamp  that  burneth. 
And  the  nations  shall  see  Thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  Thy 
glory"  (Is.  62:  I,  2).  It  was  God's  purpose  to  gather  all 
nations  and  tongues ;  and  they  shall  come  and  shall  see  His 
glory. 

Another  prophet  said,  "  At  that  time  they  shall  call  Jerusa- 
lem the  throne  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  nations  shall  be  gathered 
into  it,  to  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  (Jer.  3  :  17).  When  Israel's 
backslidings  should  be  healed,  God  would  be  merciful  to  His 
people  and  prosper  them.  Then  other  nations  would  come  to 
share  in  their  prosperity  and  joy.  *'  If  thou  wilt  return,  O 
Israel,  saith  the  Lord,  unto  Me  shalt  thou  return ;  and  if  thou 
wilt  put  away  thine  abominations  out  of  My  sight,  then  shalt 
thou  not  be  removed;  and  thou  shalt  swear.  As  the  Lord 
liveth,  in  truth,  in  judgment,  and  in  righteousness;  and  the 
nations  shall  bless  themselves  in  Him,  and  in  Him  shall  they 
glory"  (Jer.  4  :  i,  2).  Everywhere  the  thought  that  Israel  is 
to  impart  blessings  to  the  nations  is  emphasized.  O  Lord,  my 
strength,  and  my  stronghold,  and  my  refuge  in  the  day  of 
affliction,  unto  Thee  shall  the  nations  come  from  the  ends  of 
the  earth,  and  shall  say.  Our  fathers  have  inherited  naught  but 


28  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

lies,  even  vanity  and  things  wherein  there  is  no  profit.  Shall  a 
man  make  unto  himself  gods,  which  yet  are  no  gods  ?  There- 
fore, behold,  I  will  cause  thee  to  know,  this  once  will  I  cause 
thee  to  know  Mine  hand  and  My  might ;  and  they  shall  know 
that  My  name  is  Jehovah  (Jer.  i6  :  19-21).  By  their  sins  they 
cut  off  blessings  from  the  nations  ;  by  their  fidelity  and  noble- 
ness they  caused  good  to  come  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Daniel  tells  us  that  the  King  of  Babylon  saw  a  great  image. 
Part  of  it  was  of  gold,  part  of  silver,  part  of  brass,  part  of  iron, 
and  part  of  clay.  He  saw  a  stone  cut  out  without  hands,  and 
it  smote  the  image  and  ground  it  to  powder,  and  the  stone 
became  a  great  mountain,  and  it  filled  the  whole  earth.  The 
King  of  Babylon  was  the  head  of  gold.  Other  kings  that 
should  come  after  him  were  represented  by  the  inferior  ingredi- 
ents. In  the  days  of  these  kings  the  God  of  heaven  would  set 
up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never  be  destroyed,  nor  shall  the 
sovereignty  thereof  be  left  to  another  people;  but  it  shall  break 
in  pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand 
forever  (Dan.  2  :  31-35,  44).  Micah,  speaking  of  the  glorious 
work  of  Christ,  said,  ''And  He  shall  stand,  and  shall  feed  His 
flock  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  in  the  majesty  of  the  name 
of  the  Lord  His  God  ;  and  they  shall  abide ;  for  now  shall  He 
be  great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth"  (Mic.  5  :  4).  Speaking 
through  another  prophet,  the  Spirit  said,  ''For  the  earth  shall 
be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  as  the 
waters  cover  the  sea"  (Hab.  2:14).  Through  another 
prophet  still  it  is  said,  "For  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts: 
Yet  once,  it  is  a  little  while,  and  I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and 
the  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  dry  land ;  and  I  will  shake  all 
nations;  and  the  desirable  things  of  all  nations  shall  come" 
(Hag.  2  :  6,  7).  Another  said,  "  Sing  and  rejoice,  O  daughter 
of  Zion  ;  for  lo,  I  come,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee, 
saith  the  Lord.  And  many  nations  shall  join  themselves  to  the 
Lord  in  that  day,  and  shall  be  My  people ;  and  I  will  dwell  in 
the  midst  of  thee,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  the  Lord  of  hosts 


The  Missionary  Idea  in  the  Old  Testament     29 

hath  sent  Me  unto  thee  "  (Zech.  2  :  10,  1 1).  "It  shall  yet  come 
to  pass  that  there  shall  come  peoples,  and  the  inhabitants  of 
many  cities;  and  the  inhabitants  of  one  city  shall  go  to 
another,  saying,  *  Let  us  go  speedily  to  intreat  the  favour  of 
the  Lord,  and  to  seek  the  Lord  of  hosts ;  I  will  go  also,  yea, 
many  peoples  and  strong  nations  shall  come  to  seek  the  Lord 
of  hosts  in  Jerusalem,  and  to  entreat  the  favour  of  the  Lord.' 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts :  In  those  days  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  that  ten  men  shall  take  hold,  out  of  all  the  languages  of 
the  nations,  shall  even  take  hold  of  the  skirt  of  him  that  is  a 
Jew,  saying,  We  will  go  with  you,  for  we  have  heard  that 
God  is  with  you"  (Zech.  8:20-23).  Israel  was  blessed. 
This  was  evident  to  all.  Because  of  the  loving  favour  of  God 
peoples  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  came  seeking  to  participate 
in  His  blessings.  The  prophet  says  again,  '*  Rejoice  greatly, 
O  daughter  of  Zion  ;  shout,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem ;  behold 
thy  King  cometh  unto  thee ;  He  is  just  and  having  salvation ; 
lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass,  even  upon  a  colt  the  foal  of  an 
ass.  And  I  will  cut  off  the  chariot  from  Ephraim,  and  the  horse 
from  Jerusalem,  and  the  battle  bow  shall  be  cut  off;  and  He  shall 
speak  peace  unto  the  nations ;  and  His  dominion  shall  be  from 
sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth ' ' 
(Zech.  9  :  9,  10).  Through  Malachi  God  said,  *'  For  from  the 
rising  of  the  sun  even  to  the  going  down  of  the  same  My  name 
is  great  among  the  Gentiles ;  and  in  every  place  incense  is  of- 
fered unto  My  name,  and  a  pure  offering ;  for  My  name  is  great 
among  the  Gentiles  "  (Mai.  i:  11).  From  the  call  of  Abram  to 
the  close  of  the  Old  Testament  canon  the  catholicity  of  the  divine 
aim  is  apparent.  God  insists  upon  it,  that  it  is  His  purpose  to 
bless  all  the  nations.  He  called  Israel  to  the  highest  of  all 
services,  and  not  to  selfishly  enjoy  the  blessings  bestowed. 
His  chosen  people  were  to  be  a  light  to  the  heathen  world  by 
bringing  to  all  peoples  the  knowledge  of  His  revealed  will. 
This  idea  did  not  take  possession  of  the  Jewish  mind  in  the 
Exile.     The  universality  of  the  perfected  Kingdom  of  God  was 


30  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

not  borrowed  from  the  world -empire  of  Assyria.  This  idea  was 
rooted  in  the  thought  of  the  people  from  the  days  of  Abraham ; 
it  was  implanted  by  the  Divine  hand,  and  was  not  a  product 
of  the  captivity. 

The  evangelization  of  the  world  is  set  forth  with  much 
greater  fullness  and  clearness  in  the  New  Testament  than  in  the 
Old.  Paul  teaches  that  it  was  not  revealed  in  other  genera- 
tions as  it  has  since  been  revealed  unto  His  holy  apostles  and 
prophets  in  the  Spirit.  Abraham  and  Moses  and  David  and 
Isaiah  and  Daniel  and  Micah  and  Malachi  knew  much  of 
Christ  and  of  the  fullness  of  blessing  in  Christ  for  all  the 
families  of  the  earth,  but  they  did  not  know  the  full  extent  of 
God's  grace  to  all  mankind,  and  did  not  know  that  the  mid- 
dle wall  of  partition  between  Jew  and  Gentile  was  to  be  wholly 
broken  down  and  all  inequality  removed.  What  they  saw 
dimly  we  see  clearly  because  of  the  fuller  revelation  in  Christ. 
While  this  is  true,  it  is  also  true  that  the  universality  of  salva- 
tion is  presented  in  the  Law  of  Moses  and  in  the  prophets  and 
in  the  Psalms.  This  is  a  fundamental  idea  in  the  Divine  plan 
of  human  redemption,  and  was  foreshadowed  from  the  very 
beginning.  What  was  written  aforetime  was  written  for  our 
learning,  that  through  patience  and  through  comfort  of  the 
Scriptures  we  might  have  hope. 


Ill 

THE  CHURCH  A  MISSIONARY  INSTITUTION 
Acts  1:1-9 

IN  the  third  verse  of  this  chapter  we  are  told  that  our 
Lord  showed  Himself  alive  after  His  passion  by  many 
proofs,  appearing  to  the  apostles  by  the  space  of  forty 
days,  and  speaking  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God. 
I  think  it  a  significant  fact  that,  of  all  the  things  He  said  to 
them  in  that  supremely  important  period,  only  one  has  been 
recorded.  And  what  is  yet  more  significant  is  that  that  one 
thing  has  been  recorded  by  all  four  evangelists.  Every  student 
of  the  New  Testament  knows  how  few  things  all  four  do  re- 
cord. We  do  not  have  a  fourfold  record  of  the  birth  of  Christ, 
or  of  His  baptism,  or  of  His  temptation,  or  of  the  transfigura- 
tion, or  of  His  ascension  to  glory.  We  do  not  have  a  fourfold 
record  of  a  single  one  of  our  Lord's  discourses  or  parables  or 
prayers.  All  give  us  an  account  of  His  agony  in  the  garden, 
of  His  trial  and  condemnation,  of  His  burial,  and  His  resurrec- 
tion from  among  the  dead.  And  all  four  give  us  the  great 
commission  in  some  form. 

As  given  by  Matthew  the  commission  reads,  '*  All  authority 
hath  been  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye  there- 
fore, and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them  into 
the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit : 
teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded 
you :  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world."  As  given  by  Mark  the  commission  runs,  "Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation. 
He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but  he  that 

31 


Q2  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

disbelieveth  shall  be  condemned."  As  given  by  Luke  the 
commission  reads,  <*Thus  it  is  written,  that  the  Christ  should 
suffer,  and  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day ;  and  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His 
name  unto  all  the  nations,  beginning  from  Jerusalem."  As 
given  by  John  it  runs  thus,  *'As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me, 
even  so  send  I  you."  And  when  He  had  said  this  He  breathed 
on  them  and  said  unto  them,  ''Receive  ye  the  Holy  Spirit; 
whosesoever  sins  ye  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  unto  them; 
whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained."  Here  is  the 
fourfold  record  of  our  Lord's  last  charge  to  His  disciples. 

What  is  doubly  significant  is  that  we  have  a  fifth  record 
of  the  commission.  The  apostles  went  to  the  Lord  with  a 
political  question.  They  said,  "Lord,  dost  Thou  at  this 
time  restore  the  kingdom  to  Israel?"  He  said  to  them, 
''It  is  not  for  you  to  know  times  or  seasons,  which  the  Father 
hath  set  within  His  own  authority.  But  ye  shall  receive  power, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you :  and  ye  shall  be  My 
witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and 
unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  And  when  He  had 
said  these  things,  as  they  were  looking.  He  was  taken  up ;  and 
a  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight.  The  last  words  these 
men  heard  from  the  lips  of  their  Divine  Lord  were  these,  "  The 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  His  desire  was  that  they  might 
know  and  remember  that  the  last  man  alive  on  the  planet  is  in- 
cluded in  His  purpose  of  grace  and  of  glory. 

Several  years  after  His  ascension  our  Lord  appeared  to  Saul 
of  Tarsus  and  commissioned  him  to  bear  His  name  before  the 
Gentiles  and  kings  and  the  children  of  Israel.  Saul  was  told 
to  go  into  Damascus,  that  he  might  be  taught  all  things  which 
were  appointed  for  him  to  do.  Ananias  was  sent  to  him  that 
he  might  receive  his  sight,  and  be  baptized,  and  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Spirit.  But  no  one  was  sent  to  him  in  Damascus  or 
elsewhere  with  a  copy  of  the  great  commission.  Neither  did 
he  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  them  that  were  apostles  before  him. 


The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution  33 

He  was  an  apostle,  not  from  men,  neither  through  man,  but 
through  Jesus  Christ  and  God  the  Father.  Paul  told  Agrippa 
that  Christ  told  him  that  He  appeared  to  him,  to  appoint  him 
a  minister  and  a  witness  both  of  the  things  in  which  he  had  seen 
Him,  and  of  the  things  in  which  He  would  appear  to  him. 
The  Lord  said  to  him  that  He  would  send  him  to  the  people 
of  Israel  and  the  Gentiles,  to  open  their  eyes,  that  they  might 
turn  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God,  that  they  might  receive  remission  of  sins,  and  an  inher- 
itance among  them  that  are  sanctified  by  faith  in  Him.  Paul 
said  that  he  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly  vision,  but 
declared  in  Damascus  first,  and  Jerusalem,  and  through  all  the 
country  of  Judea,  and  also  to  the  Gentiles,  that  they  should 
repent  and  turn  to  God,  doing  works  worthy  of  repentance. 
He  testified  both  to  small  and  great,  saying  nothing  but  what 
the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say  should  come,  ''  How  that  the 
Christ  must  suffer,  and  how  that  He  first  by  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead  should  proclaim  light  both  to  the  people  and  to 
the  Gentiles."  Though  given  independently  Paul's  commis- 
sion was  substantially  the  same  as  that  given  to  the  eleven  in 
Galilee  and  on  Olivet.  The  fact  that  the  glorified  Redeemer  felt 
it  expedient  to  appear  in  person  to  this  man  and  to  give  him 
his  commission  from  His  own  lips  is  most  significant. 

These  six  records  of  the  great  commission  are  not  an  acci- 
dent. We  cannot  think  of  such  a  thing  as  an  accident  in  con- 
nection with  the  Holy  Spirit.  What  He  does  is  done  with 
fullest  knowledge  and  for  a  great  and  worthy  purpose.  The 
repetition  is  for  the  sake  of  clearness  and  emphasis.  Our  Lord 
wanted  the  church  in  every  age,  and  in  every  land  to  under- 
stand what  a  large  place  the  missionary  enterprise  had  in  His 
thought  and  in  His  life. 

Every  church  in  existence  is  organized  under  the  great  com- 
mission as  its  charter.  It  goes  with  the  saying  that  an  institu- 
tion must  comply  with  the  conditions  of  its  charter  or  forfeit 
its  right  to  exist.     The  one  work  of  the  church  as  set  forth  in 


34  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

its  charter  is  that  of  evangelizing  the  world.  It  is  while  the 
church  is  engaged  in  this  work  that  she  has  a  right  to  claim 
the  glorious  promise  of  the  continual  presence  of  her  Founder. 
Alexander  Campbell  had  something  like  this  in  mind  when  he 
said,  "The  church  of  right  is,  and  ought  to  be,  a  great  mis- 
sionary society.  Her  field  is  the  whole  earth,  from  sea  to  sea, 
and  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  last  domicile  of  man.  A  Chris- 
tian community  without  missions  and  missionaries  would  be  a 
solecism  in  creation,  and  a  gross  deviation  from  the  order,  the 
economy,  and  the  government  of  the  universe."  It  is  through 
the  church  that  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God  is  to  be  made 
known  to  the  principalities  and  powers  in  the  heavenly  places. 
This  is  according  to  the  eternal  purpose  which  He  purposed  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

The  church  is  to  continue  steadfastly  in  the  apostles' 
teaching  and  fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the 
prayers.  She  is  to  provide  for  the  instruction  and  edification 
of  the  entire  membership.  The  church  is  to  work  out  her  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling.  But  that  is  not  the  mission 
of  the  church.  The  church  is  to  do  what  her  Lord  did  while 
He  was  here ;  she  is  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  She  is  to 
go  after  those  who  have  gone  astray  and  lead  them  back  to  the 
Bishop  and  Shepherd  of  their  souls.  The  church  is  set  for  a 
light  to  the  nations,  and  for  salvation  unto  the  uttermost  part 
of  the  earth.  That  is  her  mission,  and  her  ordinances  and 
ministries  are  to  serve  as  auxiliaries  to  this  chief  end.  The 
church  is  to  pray,  '<  God  be  merciful  unto  us  and  bless  us  "  ; 
but  the  reason  assigned  for  this  prayer  is  *<that  God's  way 
may  be  known  on  earth,  His  saving  health  among  all  peoples." 
The  church  is  a  conduit  to  bear  the  blessings  of  redemption  to 
the  whole  wide  world.  So  the  Scriptures  say,  '^  God  shall  bless 
us,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear  Him. ' '  The  church  is  a 
life-saving  institution.  The  business  of  a  life-saving  station  is 
to  save  those  who  have  been  wrecked  and  those  who  are  in 
peril  at  sea.     If  the  men  employed  to  save  life  should  spend 


The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution  35 

all  their  time  and  energy  and  resources  in  caring  for  their 
own  health  and  comfort  and  in  keeping  the  buildings  and 
apparatus  in  perfect  repair,  the  aim  of  the  government  would 
be  defeated ;  the  institution  would  be  worthless  and  worse  than 
worthless.  And  if  a  church  should  lose  sight  of  her  real 
mission  and  concentrate  everything  upon  herself,  she  would 
cease  to  be  of  any  value ;  she  would  become  like  salt  that  has 
lost  its  saving  qualities,  and  is  neither  good  for  the  ground  nor 
yet  for  the  dunghill,  but  men  cast  it  out. 

An  army  exists  for  one  and  only  for  one  purpose,  that  is,  to 
fight.  This  is  the  sole  object  of  its  existence.  An  army  has 
its  drill  ground,  its  target  practice,  its  dress  parade,  its 
barracks,  its  colours.  But  an  army  does  not  exist  for  the  drill 
ground  or  the  target  practice  or  the  dress  parade  or  the 
barracks.  An  army  exists  to  fight  when  the  nation  wants 
fighting  done.  If  when  ordered  to  take  the  field  and  fight  an 
army  should  say  that  it  preferred  the  barracks  and  the  target 
practice  and  the  evolutions  of  the  drill  ground  and  that  it 
proposed  to  remain  where  it  was,  it  would  be  of  no  advantage 
to  the  nation ;  it  would  be  a  national  incumbrance.  Ten  years 
ago  I  was  in  Japan.  Wherever  I  went  I  found  men  drilling. 
Japan  was  then  at  peace  with  all  the  world.  I  asked  what  this 
drilling  meant.  I  was  told  this  by  the  Japanese,  "  Some  of 
these  days  we  will  have  to  fight  Russia."  Forty  years  ago 
Japan  saw  Russia  creeping  stealthily  down  from  the  north ; 
Japan  divined  Russia's  purpose,  and  Japan  knew  that  Russia's 
triumph  meant  her  destruction  as  a  nation.  So  Japan  began 
to  prepare  for  the  struggle  that  she  foresaw  was  inevitable. 
For  all  these  years  she  was  quietly  building  up  an  army  and 
navy.  When  the  hour  for  fighting  came  every  Japanese 
soldier  and  sailor  was  ready  to  do  his  part.  We  know  the 
result.  The  report  of  the  victories  won  at  Port  Arthur  and  at 
Mukden  made  the  whole  world  ring  from  side  to  side.  The 
Japanese  sailors  swept  the  Russian  fleet  from  the  sea. 

In  like  manner  the  church  of  Christ  exists  for  one  purpose 


36  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

and  for  one  only.  What  is  true  of  the  church  as  a  whole  is 
true  of  each  local  church.  This  church,  for  example,  has  a 
beautiful  auditorium,  comfortable  pews,  a  pulpit,  and  a  regular 
minister.  Here  is  the  baptistery;  here  is  the  Lord's  table. 
What  has  this  plant  been  created  for  ?  What  is  it  maintained 
for  year  after  year  ?  What  is  the  purpose  of  this  institution  ? 
Does  all  this  exist  simply  and  solely  for  the  entertainment  and 
edification  of  the  membership  of  this  congregation  and  such 
friends  as  may  care  to  come  here  from  time  to  time  ?  God 
forbid  that  any  member  of  this  church  should  get  any  such 
notion  into  his  head  or  heart.  This  church  exists  as  part  of 
Christ's  army  of  conquest.  This  church  exists  to  help  Christ 
accomplish  His  purpose  concerning  our  race.  This  is  a 
militant  body,  and  not  a  peace  congress.  It  must  be  that  if  it 
answers  to  the  thought  of  Christ  as  set  forth  by  the  sacred 
writers.  Every  convert  who  unites  with  this  church  for 
worship  and  work  should  understand  that  he  is  joining  a  mis- 
sionary society.  He  is  a  soldier  under  the  banner  of  Christ ; 
he  is  one  of  those  that  Christ  is  using  to  subdue  all  things  to 
Himself. 

If  this  church  should  lose  sight  of  its  true  mission,  it  would 
cease  to  be  a  church  of  Christ.  It  would  degenerate  into  a 
club  of  some  sort.  This  club  might  be  made  up  of  intelligent 
and  respectable  people;  they  might  be  well-dressed  and  good- 
looking  and  perfumed  people;  they  might  have  a  superb 
building,  and  their  building  might  be  perfect  in  all  its  appoint- 
ments ;  they  might  have  a  very  cultured  and  eloquent  man  on 
their  rostrum  ;  their  music  might  be  the  finest  in  the  world  ;  but 
that  would  not  be  a  church  in  any  true  and  full  and  divine 
sense  of  the  word.  It  may  carve  "  Church  of  Christ"  on  its 
corner-stone  and  over  its  entrance,  but  losing  sight  of  its  one 
proper  mission,  and  ceasing  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  its  Lord, 
it  is  not  a  church,  and  has  no  right  to  call  itself  by  that  holy 
name.     It  is  a  human  and  not  a  divine  institution. 

One  of  the  most  effective  ministers  of  our  time  says,  "The 


The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution  37 

foremost  issue  of  the  church  is  the  Christianization  of  the 
world.  The  church  is  a  missionary  society.  Missions  are  not 
merely  a  department  of  church  activity ;  they  are  the  whole 
thing.  It  is  an  awful  collapse  when  the  church  of  Christ  be- 
comes nothing  but  an  annex  to  a  political  party,  or  the  tail 
end  of  some  reform  movement,  or  an  information  bureau  for 
industrial  unrest.  The  mission  of  the  church  is  to  make 
Christ  known.  In  the  face  of  all  this  to  make  the  missionary 
campaign  a  side  issue,  to  apologize  for  it,  to  neglect  it,  in  short 
to  do  anything  but  make  it  my  mission  is  for  me  to  show  that 
as  a  minister  I  have  missed  my  calling."  The  pulpit  through- 
out the  entire  land  should  ring  with  the  commands  and 
promises  of  the  Lord  relating  to  this  cause.  Every  sermon 
should  be  in  accord  with  the  great  commission.  Every 
believer  should  be  continually  reminded  of  his  obligations  to 
this  divine  enterprise. 

When  the  elders  and  deacons  and  the  minister  meet  they 
should  give  this  cause  the  same  prominence  that  it  has  in  the 
Scriptures.  They  should  not  feel  that  they  have  done  their 
duty  when  they  look  after  the  building,  and  see  that  the 
janitor  does  his  duty,  and  that  the  choir  does  its  part  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned,  and  that  the  current  expenses  are 
promptly  and  fully  met.  These  men  who  are  the  overseers  of 
the  flock  should  pray  and  plan  for  the  larger  work  with  which 
the  local  work  is  vitally  connected,  and  from  which  it  derives 
all  its  significance.  They  should  see  that  the  congregation  is  in 
line  with  every  good  work.  Occasionally  they  will  call  the  roll 
of  the  church  to  see  if  there  are  not  in  their  midst  some  young 
people  of  unusual  promise  who  should  be  trained  for  the 
service.  If  there  are  they  will  go  to  them  and  tell  them  what 
they  think  they  ought  to  do.  They  will  urge  them  to  enter 
college  to  prepare  for  the  service.  If  these  young  people  need 
financial  assistance,  the  overseers  will  see  that  it  is  provided. 
When  they  are  ready  to  go  out  the  church  will  support  them 
as  loyally  as  it  supports  the  minister  at  home.     Every  church 


^8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

should  be  looking  for  such  young  people  and  should  be  train- 
ing them  for  largest  usefulness  in  the  kingdom  and  patience  of 
Jesus  Christ.  When  the  Sunday-school  superintendent  and 
the  teachers  meet  they  will  put  the  main  emphasis  on  this 
work.  They  will  not  be  satisfied  with  planning  for  entertain- 
ments and  assigning  the  several  parts.  That  is  small  business 
when  the  world  is  perishing  for  knowledge,  and  when  Christ  is 
calling  for  reapers  for  His  harvest.  In  every  department  of 
the  church's  life  and  work  the  cause  of  the  world's  evangeliza- 
tion will  have  its  rightful  place. 

We  are  taught  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  for  all 
delivered  to  the  saints.  We  do  that,  and  rightly  so.  No 
church  would  tolerate  any  man  in  the  pulpit  whose  preaching 
and  teaching  were  not  in  harmony  with  the  word  of  God,  and 
whose  life  was  not  above  reproach.  No  church  would  tolerate 
any  perversion  of  the  ordinances.  The  time  will  come  when 
no  church  will  tolerate  a  minister  or  a  leadership  that  ignores 
the  missionary  days  and  fails  to  take  the  missionary  offerings. 
For  the  latter  is  taught  as  clearly  and  as  fully  as  the  former,  and  a 
great  deal  more  so.  For  every  passage  that  can  be  advanced 
relating  to  baptism  ten  can  be  cited  that  relate  to  missions. 
For  every  reference  to  the  Lord's  Supper  that  can  be  quoted, 
fifty  can  be  quoted  relating  to  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 
If  the  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  that  relate  to  missions  had 
been  emphasized  as  some  other  matters  have  been  emphasized, 
it  could  not  be  said  that  not  more  than  one-third  of  the 
churches  and  not  more  than  one-fourth  of  the  members  give 
anything  at  all  for  this  work.  Every  church  and  every  mem- 
ber of  every  church  would  be  enrolled  as  a  contributor,  and 
the  contributions  would  be  according  to  the  ability  that  God 
has  given.  It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  a  better  day  is  com- 
ing. The  time  is  not  far  distant  when  churches  will  recognize 
the  ownership  and  Lordship  of  Christ  as  they  do  not  now,  and 
will  do  immeasurably  more  than  they  have  ever  dreamed  of 
doing  for  the  furtherance  and  universal  triumph  of  the  glorious 


The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution  39 

gospel  of  the  blessed  God.  The  time  is  coming  when  rich 
churches  will  understand  that  if  they  restrict  their  sympathies 
and  interests  to  themselves  they  will  become  poor  and  blind 
and  naked  and  in  need  of  all  things ;  and  poor  churches  will 
realize  that  they  will  become  poorer  in  all  the  highest  things  if 
they  refuse  to  have  fellowship  with  Christ  in  His  efforts  to  re- 
deem the  world.  The  time  is  coming  when  Christian  people 
will  know  that  that  is  the  road  that  leads  to  spiritual  atrophy 
and  ends  in  the  valley  of  dry  bones. 

Not  long  ago  it  was  my  privilege  to  visit  a  church  that  has  a 
great  history.  That  church  gives  five  thousand  dollars  a  year 
for  missions.  It  supports  six  missionaries  and  thirty  helpers, 
and  gives  to  erect  buildings  and  for  other  purposes.  That  church 
believes  that  Christ  meant  what  He  said  when  He  commanded 
His  disciples  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
the  whole  creation,  and  makes  it  its  chief  business  to  obey  that 
command.  Missions  are  not  considered  an  outside  cause ;  they 
have  the  first  place  in  the  thoughts  and  plans  and  expenditures 
of  the  membership.  That  church  wishes  to  be  and  to  be  known 
as  a  missionary  church.  The  building  is  convenient  and 
commodious,  but  strikingly  plain.  No  money  has  been  wasted 
in  adornment.  The  building  is  not  a  Greek  temple,  or  a 
magnificent  cathedral ;  it  is  a  workshop.  It  is  a  place  where 
the  Lord's  business  is  transacted.  There  is  no  pipe  organ. 
The  carpet  is  inexpensive.  Opera  chairs  serve  as  seats.  There 
are  several  churches  in  town  more  impressive  from  an  architec- 
tural point  of  view ;  there  are  several  that  cost  two  or  three  times 
as  much  :  but  this  one  gives  more  for  the  extension  of  the 
gospel  than  all  the  others  combined.  This  church  is  known  and 
honoured  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Other  churches  take  the  opposite  course.  They  set  their 
hearts  on  having  the  finest  building  in  the  place.  Their  ambi- 
tion is  to  outclass  all  their  neighbours.  When  the  building  is 
dedicated  there  is  a  heavy  debt  upon  it.  The  debt  is  a  mill- 
stone around  the  neck  of  the  church ;  it  is  a  lion  in  its  path. 


40  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Until  the  debt  is  paid  little  or  nothing  can  be  given  for  mis- 
sions. Members  urge  the  shameful  excuse  that  they  must  be 
just  before  they  can  be  generous ;  as  if  the  cause  of  Christ  had 
not  the  earliest  and  strongest  claim  upon  them ;  as  if  that 
divine  claim  should  not  be  met  before  a  sacrifice  was  made  to 
the  pride  and  vanity  of  the  membership.  As  soon  as  the  debt 
is  paid  a  pipe  organ  must  be  provided.  Until  that  is  paid  for, 
the  missionary  cause  must  be  content  with  a  pittance  or  with 
nothing.  As  soon  as  the  organ  is  clear  of  debt,  the  building  must 
be  frescoed  again,  and  new  and  costly  carpets  must  be  laid. 
Then  music  of  a  more  elaborate  character  must  be  secured ; 
expensive  singers  must  be  engaged.  The  church  proceeds  on  the 
assumption  that  the  local  work  is  the  supreme  thing  and  must 
be  attended  to  first,  and  that  the  evangelization  of  the  world  is 
a  matter  of  small  consequence,  and  one  that  can  wait  for  con- 
venient seasons. 

Which  course  is  most  pleasing  to  Christ  ?  Which  honours 
Him  most  ?  Which  accords  best  with  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament  ?  To  ask  these  questions  is  to  answer  them.  A 
church  needs  and  should  have  a  suitable  building  for  its  worship 
and  work.  But  while  half  the  race  is  without  the  gospel,  it 
would  seem  that  simplicity  should  be  the  order  of  the  day,  that 
more  money  may  be  available  for  the  support  of  the  missionary 
enterprise.  Surely  if  a  church  spends  thirty  thousand  for  a 
building  for  itself,  and  gives  twenty-five  dollars  or  less  for 
missions,  and  pays  twenty- five  hundred  dollars  for  an  organ  and 
gives  five  dollars  or  less  for  missions,  it  has  not  adopted  the 
course  that  is  most  pleasing  to  the  Lord.  Nor  is  this  course 
one  that  secures  the  respect  of  men  of  the  world.  When  they 
see  the  church  trying  by  means  of  music  and  eloquence  and 
artistic  and  aesthetic  accessories  to  attract  and  hold  the  fashion- 
able and  the  wealthy,  they  despise  it  in  their  hearts.  Let  the 
church  stand  for  the  simplicity  of  Christ ;  let  it  exert  itself  to 
the  limit  of  sacrifice  to  give  the  gospel  to  the  unevangelized 
portions  of  the  earth ;  and  these  men  will  honour  it  and  contrib- 


The  Church  a  Missionary  Institution  41 

ute  generously  and  joyously  to  its  support.  The  history  of 
the  church  Dr.  Gordon  ministered  to  in  Boston,  and  the  one 
Dr.  Bradt  ministered  to  in  Wichita,  and  the  history  of  the 
church  in  Angola  demonstrate  this.  When  the  church  most 
honours  Christ,  she  will  compel  the  respect  of  the  world,  and 
she  will  do  most  to  build  herself  up  on  her  most  holy  faith. 

The  church  exists  to  assist  Christ  in  accomplishing  His  gra- 
cious purpose.  In  order  to  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  the 
finest  building  in  the  city ;  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  grand 
organ.  It  is  far  more  profitable  to  support  a  missionary  or  two. 
That  will  do  more  to  attract  the  public  and  to  build  up  the 
church  in  membership  and  in  holiness  and  in  influence  than 
anything  that  can  be  done  to  minister  to  the  lust  of  the  flesh, 
the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life.  In  many  churches 
the  emphasis  is  put  in  the  wrong  place.  That  which  should 
be  first  of  all  and  greatest  of  all,  is  last  of  all  and  least  of  all. 
For  this  very  cause  many  churches  are  weak  and  sickly  and 
some  are  dead.  They  misapprehended  the  purpose  and  plan 
of  Christ,  and  because  they  did  they  missed  the  path  that  leads 
to  abundant  life. 

The  church  is  not  to  lavish  her  thought  and  her  substance 
upon  herself.  She  is  not  to  study  ornamentation  and  elegance 
and  magnificence.  She  can  well  afford  to  leave  that  to  the 
club  and  to  the  saloon.  Her  mission  is  a  higher  one.  Her 
work  in  the  world  is  to  help  save  those  for  whom  Christ  died. 
Her  business  is  to  publish  the  truth  far  and  near,  so  that  the 
prophecy  may  be  speedily  and  gloriously  fulfilled,  **  They  shall 
see  to  whom  no  tidings  of  Him  came,  and  they  that  have  not 
heard  shall  understand."  By  doing  this  the  church  will  please 
and  honour  her  Lord,  and  will  bring  down  upon  herself  such 
a  blessing  that  there  will  not  be  room  to  receive  it. 


IV 

A  MISSIONARY  CHAPTER  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

And  Jesus  went  about  all  the  cities  and  villages,  teaching  in  their 
synagogues  andpreachi?ig  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom y  and  healing 
all  manner  of  disease  and  all  manner  of  sickness.  But  when 
He  saw  the  multitudes.  He  was  moved  with  compassion  for  them, 
because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered,  as  sheep  not  having 
a  shepherd.  Then  said  He  unto  His  disciples.  The  harvest  in- 
deed is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers  are  few.  Pray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  He  send  forth  labourers  into  His 
harvest. — Matt.  9  :    35-38. 

NO  one  can  read  the  gospels  attentively  without  be- 
ing impressed  by  our  Lord's  constant  activity. 
He  made  eight  circuits  of  Galilee.  He  visited 
Samaria  and  Judea  and  Perea  each  more  than  once.  We 
find  Him  as  far  north  as  the  parts  of  Csesarea  Philippi.  We 
find  Him  in  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon.  We  find  Him 
in  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles.  He  was  sent  to  the  lost  sheep 
of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  His  endeavour  was  to  reach  the 
entire  population  before  His  earthly  career  should  close  in 
death.  Many  followed  Him  from  place  to  place  and  listened  to 
Him  from  day  to  day.  But  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case  most 
of  the  people  could  not  do  that.  It  was  necessary  for  them  to 
remain  at  home  that  they  might  attend  to  their  business  and 
domestic  affairs.  If  they  were  reached  at  all,  He  must  go  to 
the  cities  and  villages  in  which  they  lived  and  press  the  claims 
of  the  gospel  home  to  their  hearts  and  consciences. 

John  the  Baptist  stationed  himself  beside  the  Jordan  or  at 
places  where  there  was  an  abundance  of  water  for  baptismal 
purposes.     He  waited  for  the  people  to  go  to  him.     When  they 

42 


A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  Christ     43 

went,  he  preached  the  baptism  of  repentance  for  the  remission 
of  sins.  If  they  repented  he  baptized  them.  Our  Lord's 
method  was  different.  Instead  of  waiting  for  the  people  to  go 
to  Him,  He  searched  them  out.  At  one  point  the  multitude 
sought  after  Him,  and  came  unto  Him,  and  would  have  stayed 
Him,  that  He  should  not  go  from  them.  But  He  said  unto 
them,  "  I  must  preach  the  good  tidings  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
to  the  other  cities  also;  for  therefore  was  I  sent."  His 
mission  was  not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world. 
He  could  not  accomplish  His  mission  if  He  should  remain  in 
one  place  and  speak  to  only  one  group  of  people.  Confucius 
said  that  if  the  philosopher  has  any  great  truth,  he  need  not  go 
abroad  to  proclaim  it ;  the  people  will  flock  to  him  that  they 
may  hear  it.  That  may  be  true  in  philosophy.  It  is  not  true 
in  religion.  The  gospel  must  be  carried  to  the  people. 
Otherwise  they  will  not  hear  it  or  care  to  inquire  about  it. 

In  his  address  in  the  home  of  Cornelius  Peter  referred  to 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  told  how  God  anointed  Him  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  with  power,  and  said  that  He  went  about  doing 
good,  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  devil ;  for 
God  was  with  Him.  This  is  an  admirable  summary  of  the 
history  of  the  earthly  life  of  our  Lord.  Buddha  is  nearly  al- 
ways represented  as  sitting  in  a  lotus  flower ;  he  is  in  a  state  of 
slumber.  Here  and  elsewhere  Jesus  the  Christ  is  represented 
as  going  about  from  place  to  place.  As  He  goes  He  teaches 
and  preaches  and  heals.  He  is  actively  engaged  in  doing 
good. 

We  read  in  this  passage  in  Matthew  that  when  Jesus  saw 
the  multitudes.  He  was  moved  with  compassion  for  them, 
because  they  were  distressed  and  scattered,  as  sheep  without  a 
shepherd.  He  saw  the  deepest  need  of  human  nature.  He 
saw  the  moral  misery  and  the  spiritual  destitution  of  the  people. 
He  was  moved  with  compassion  for  the  multitudes  because 
they  were  like  sheep  not  having  a  shepherd.  They  had  no 
one  to  conduct  them  into  green  pastures  and  along  the  still 


44  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

waters.  They  had  no  one  to  protect  them.  They  were 
thrown  down  and  stretched  on  the  ground.  They  were 
exhausted  and  unable  to  proceed  any  further. 

We  are  to  remember  that  it  was  the  people  of  rich  and  fertile 
Galilee,  with  its  numerous  and  prosperous  cities,  our  Lord 
had  in  mind.  These  were  the  chosen  people.  They  had  a 
knowledge  of  God.  They  had  the  Law  of  Moses  and  the 
Prophecies  and  the  Psalms.  They  had  the  temple  on  Mount 
Zion  with  its  magnificent  ritual.  They  had  the  synagogue 
and  its  services.  Highly  favoured  as  these  people  were,  when 
Jesus  saw  them  He  was  moved  with  compassion  for  them.  He 
was  profoundly  concerned  about  them  and  deeply  anxious  to 
do  them  good.  He  wanted  them  to  have  fellowship  with  Him- 
self and  with  the  Father. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  non-Christian  faiths  that  they  dis- 
trust and  despise  the  common  people.  Horace  said:  ''I 
hate  the  vulgar  crowd,  and  keep  it  at  a  distance."  The 
Brahmin  regards  himself  and  is  regarded  by  the  lower  castes  as 
a  god.  If  he  washes  his  feet  the  people  gladly  drink  the 
water.  John  Williams  said  that  in  the  South  Seas  the  women 
were  not  allowed  to  enter  the  sacred  enclosures.  The  pigs 
might ;  the  women  could  not.  Christ's  feeUng  towards  every 
human  soul  is  that  of  sympathy.  He  is  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  He  tasted  death  for  every  man.  He  gave  Himself  a 
ransom  for  all.  He  loves  every  soul  that  He  purchased  with 
His  own  blood. 

As  He  saw  the  multitudes  around  Him  He  said  to  His 
disciples,  "The  harvest  indeed  is  plenteous,  but  the  labourers 
are  few."  The  way  the  people  followed  Him  and  pressed 
upon  Him  to  hear  the  word  and  to  be  healed  showed  that  they 
were  in  need  of  something  better  than  they  had.  There  was 
no  lack  of  priests  or  Levites  or  Scribes  or  lawyers.  There 
were  innumerable  teachers  and  expounders  of  the  law.  Yet 
our  Lord  could  say  with  absolute  truth,  ''The  labourers  are 


A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  Christ     45 

few. ' '  The  real  teachers  of  the  people  j  the  men  who  know 
God  and  have  His  spirit  and  know  His  will ;  these  are  a  small 
number.  So  He  said,  ''Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  that  He  send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest."  It  is 
for  us  to  consider  that  many  things  are  done  in  answer  to 
prayer  that  will  not  be  done  if  prayer  is  omitted.  The  promise 
is  that  those  who  ask  shall  receive.  Of  others  it  is  said, 
**  You  have  not  because  you  ask  not."  The  Most  High  God 
has  made  the  progress  of  the  Kingdom  depend  in  some 
measure  upon  the  prayers  of  His  children.  He  has  made  us' 
partners  with  Himself;  the  work  to  be  done  cannot  be  done  if 
we  fail  to  do  our  duty. 

There  are  two  considerations  that  should  lead  us  to  obey 
this  command.  One  is  pity  for  the  lost.  Their  condition 
pleads  like  angels  trumpet-tongued  on  their  behalf.  Whatever 
they  may  think  about  themselves,  the  fact  is,  that  they  are 
poor,  and  miserable,  and  blind,  and  naked,  and  in  need  of  all 
things.  The  other  is  zeal  for  the  Lord's  honour  and  glory. 
This  is  His  harvest.  These  lost  souls  belong  to  Him.  If  they 
are  allowed  to  perish  because  of  a  lack  of  knowledge,  He  will 
suffer  loss. 

We  claim  that  we  are  Christians,  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ. 
If  we  are  Christians  we  will  think  and  feel  and  speak  and  act 
as  Christ  did.  We  will  be  imitators  of  Him  ;  we  will  walk  in 
His  steps.  He  said  to  His  followers,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation.  He  that 
believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  he  that  disbelieveth 
shall  be  condemned."  The  man  in  the  church  who  does  not 
go  is  as  guilty  as  the  man  outside  the  church  who  does  not  be- 
lieve when  sufficient  evidence  is  presented  to  him.  They  shall 
be  condemned  together,  one  because  of  disobedience,  and  the 
other  because  of  disbelief.  The  great  promise  is,  "Whoso- 
ever shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved." 
But  the  questions  follow  :  "  How  then  shall  they  call  on  Him 
in  whom  they  have  not  believed  ?  and  how  shall  they  believe  in 


46  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Him  whom  they  have  not  heard?  and  how  shall  they  hear 
without  a  preacher  ?  and  how  shall  they  preach  except  they 
be  sent  ?  even  as  it  is  written,  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of 
them  that  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things  !  "  The  church 
must  send  out  a  sufficient  number  of  missionary  agents  to  give 
a  knowledge  of  the  gospel  to  all  mankind.  The  church  is  set 
for  a  light  to  the  nations,  and  for  salvation  unto  the  uttermost 
part  of  the  earth.  She  cannot  keep  the  light  to  herself;  she 
must  send  it  out.  We  are  told  that,  after  the  ascension  of  our 
Lord,  the  disciples  went  out  and  preached  everywhere,  the 
Lord  working  with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  with  the 
signs  that  followed.  That  is  the  work  of  the  disciples  of  Christ 
now. 

If  we  are  really  Christians  we  will  have  compassion  upon 
those  who  are  distressed  and  scattered,  as  sheep  not  having  a 
shepherd.  Our  compassion  will  assume  a  practical  form.  We 
are  told  that  in  the  dark  lands  sin  is  enthroned  and  deified  and 
worshipped.  Crime  and  sorrow  are  everywhere.  These  lands 
are  a  waste,  howling  wilderness.  The  people  are  without  hope 
and  without  God.  In  Africa  bloodshed  abounds;  Satan  is 
supreme;  the  darkness  is  darkest.  In  India  the  foundations 
of  social  life  are  utterly  rotten,  beastly  rotten.  The  foulest 
ceremonies  are  carried  on  in  the  name  of  religion.  Bishop 
Foster  says,  *'  Paint  a  starless  sky ;  hang  your  picture  with 
night ;  drape  the  mountains  with  long,  far-reaching  vistas  of 
darkness ;  hang  the  curtains  deep  along  every  shore  and  land- 
scape ;  darken  all  the  past ;  let  the  future  be  draped  in  deeper 
and  yet  deeper  night ;  fill  the  awful  gloom  with  hungry,  sad- 
faced  men  and  sorrow-driven  women  and  children ; — it  is  the 
heathen  world,  the  people  seen  in  vision  by  the  prophet,  who 
sit  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,  to  whom  no  light  has 
come,  sitting  there  still  through  the  long,  long  night,  waiting 
and  watching  for  the  morning."  There  is  nothing  in  the  non- 
Christian  faiths  that  can  cleanse  the  soul,  nothing  that  can 
give  peace  to  the  troubled  conscience.     There  is  not  a  man  or 


A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  Christ     47 

woman  or  child  in  these  dark  lands  for  whom  Christ  does  not 
have  compassion.  There  is  not  one  that  He  does  not  desire  to 
see  justified  and  sanctified  and  glorified.  If  we  are  His  disci- 
ples we  will  feel  precisely  as  He  feels. 

Mrs.  Bishop  says  that  the  false  faiths  degrade  woman  with  a 
degradation  that  is  infinite.  They  dwarf  the  intellect  and  de- 
velop the  worst  passions  of  the  soul — ^jealousy,  envy,  murderous 
hate,  intrigue.  She  was  asked  two  hundred  times  for  some 
drug  that  would  poison  the  favourite  wife  or  that  would  dis- 
figure her  son.  In  China  there  is  a  saying,  *' We  may  trust 
deadly  poisons,  a  swollen  river,  a  hurricane,  beasts  of  prey,  a 
thief,  a  savage,  a  murderer;  but  a  woman,  never."  A  mis- 
sionary secretary  and  some  friends  were  travelling  in  Persia.  In 
the  evening  some  of  the  women  of  the  place  went  into  the  inn. 
The  women  asked  the  strangers  about  their  homes  and  their 
families.  Then  the  strangers  asked  them  about  their  lives. 
They  said,  ''  Sahibs,  our  life  is  hell."  That  statement  was 
absolutely  true.  There  is  not  a  woman  in  all  the  world 
whose  life  has  been  degraded  and  darkened  by  paganism 
or  Mohammedanism  for  whom  Christ  is  not  concerned.  His 
desire  for  her  is  that  she  should  have  every  comfort  and 
every  honour  shown  to  women  in  Christian  lands.  He  wishes 
her  life  to  be  bright  and  full  of  blessedness.  If  we  are  worthy 
to  bear  His  name  we  will  be  concerned  about  so  many  hundred 
millions  of  women  who  are  regarded  as  on  a  level  with  brute 
beasts,  who  are  considered  as  a  necessary  evil,  whose  sole  ex- 
cuse for  existence  is  that  they  may  propagate  the  species  and 
minister  to  the  needs  of  the  male  sex. 

Scattered  all  over  the  world  there  are  earnest  souls  seeking 
for  God  and  truth  and  eternal  life.  They  go  on  long  and 
weary  pilgrimages;  they  gash  themselves  with  knives;  they 
submit  to  the  most  cruel  tortures ;  they  sleep  on  beds  of  spikes ; 
they  starve  themselves.  They  hope  in  this  way  to  earn  pardon 
and  peace.  A  Hindu  said,  "  I  am  thirsty — I  am  thirsting  for 
God.     Tell  me,  tell  me,  have  you  seen  Him?     Can  you  show 


^8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Him  to  me  ?  I  want  to  know  Him. ' '  He  offered  to  worship  the 
missionary  if  he  would  lead  him  to  God.  An  aged  man  said 
to  a  missionary,  "  I  have  been  waiting  for  forty  years  to  hear 
what  I  heard  to-day.  I  felt  sure  that  there  was  nothing  in 
Buddhism  that  could  save  me,  but  I  felt  that  the  great  God 
must  have  some  method  by  which  a  poor  sinner  might  find 
salvation."  A  Chinese  said  that  from  a  child  his  heart  was 
hungry  for  peace.  He  went  on  long  journeys  on  foot  to 
temples  of  renown,  hoping  that  by  seeing  the  idols  he  would 
feel  his  sins  forgiven.  He  would  dust  them  and  clean  them 
and  burn  much  incense  before  them.  But  he  returned  home 
as  dissatisfied  as  ever.  An  Indian  princess  started  on  a  seven 
years'  journey  to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  country,  to  the 
four  great  shrines  of  the  gods.  She  endured  everything ;  she 
bathed  in  all  sacred  waters ;  she  undertook  fasts  and  penances 
and  privations ;  she  bowed  at  all  shrines,  worshipped  before  all 
the  idols,  spent  money  with  lavish  and  princely  munificence. 
After  a  season  of  rest  she  started  on  a  second  tour.  She  vowed 
she  would  sit  in  the  burning  sun  all  day  with  hot  fires  raging 
about  her.  When  the  cool  season  came  she  vowed  she  would 
spend  every  night  in  a  pond  with  the  water  up  to  her  chin. 
On  this  tour  she  heard  of  salvation  through  Christ  for  the  first 
time,  and  gladly  accepted  it,  and  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  in 
making  it  known  to  others.  There  is  not  an  honest  seeker 
after  God  and  salvation  in  the  whole  world  for  whom  Christ 
has  not  compassion.  He  wishes  His  disciples  to  help  Him  give 
this  knowledge  to  all  such.  If  we  would  be  loyal  to  Him  we 
will  do  this. 

Three-fourths  of  mankind  live  in  a  perpetual  atmosphere  of 
fear.  They  are  afraid  to  live  and  afraid  to  die.  Their  gods 
are  hostile  and  are  constantly  plotting  to  do  them  mischief. 
They  have  not  heard  of  a  God  who  is  a  Father  and  whose 
highest  name  is  love.  When  those  nearest  to  them  are 
taken  away  they  have  no  consolation  and  good  hope  through 
grace. 


A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  Christ     49 

"  Alas  for  him  who  never  sees 
The  stars  shine  through  his  cypress  trees ! 
Who  hopeless  lays  his  dead  away, 
Nor  looks  to  see  the  breaking  day 
Across  the  mournful  marbles  play ! 
Who  has  not  learned  in  hours  of  faith 
The  truth  to  flesh  and  sense  unknown, 
That  Life  is  ever  lord  of  Death, 
And  Love  can  never  lose  its  own." 

Christ  would  have  every  human  soul  know  where  comfort  and 
consolation  can  be  found.  He  would  have  all  men  know  that 
death  is  the  gateway  to  the  life  that  is  life  indeed.  He  would 
have  all  men  know  that  He  has  abolished  death,  and  has 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel. 
Every  true  disciple  of  Jesus  the  Christ  will  wish  the  same.  He 
would  brighten  the  great  mystery  of  the  grave. 

If  we  are  Christians  we  will  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to 
send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest.  Dr.  Broadus  says  that 
this  is  the  one  specific  thing  that  our  Lord  instructed  His  dis- 
ciples to  pray  for ;  and  that  it  is  the  one  petition  that  is  seldom 
heard  in  public  or  private  worship.  The  church  has  forgotten 
this  command  of  her  Founder.  We  pray  for  almost  everything 
else ;  we  seldom  pray  or  hear  others  pray  for  labourers  for  the 
harvest  field.  Not  long  ago  a  man  and  wife  conferred  with 
us  about  an  appointment.  They  were  young  people  of  ability 
and  culture  and  consecration.  They  were  well  qualified  for 
the  work  to  be  done.  But  there  was  one  obstacle  in  the  way 
of  their  going.  The  woman  said  that  before  she  entered  col- 
lege her  father  extorted  a  promise  from  her  that  she  would  not 
become  a  missionary  after  her  college  course  was  finished.  He 
did  not  bind  her  not  to  marry  a  debauchee  or  a  man  out  of 
the  church  or  a  French  Count  or  an  English  Marquis  or  a 
Russian  Grand  Duke  or  an  Italian  Princelet ;  there  was  only 
one  point  about  which  he  was  greatly  concerned,  that  was, 
that  she  should  not  srve  Christ  as  a  missionary.  She  knew 
nothing  of  missions  at  that  time  and  not  knowing  anything  did 


^o  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

not  care  anything,  and  readily  gave  her  promise.  In  college 
she  came  in  touch  with  the  Volunteer  Movement.  She  wanted 
to  go  out  as  a  missionary,  but  her  promise  to  her  father  stood 
in  the  way  and  he  held  her  to  it.  So  while  their  hearts  were 
in  this  cause  they  could  not  go.  We  are  not  to  think  that  her 
father  is  a  bad  man.  He  is  not  a  bad  man ;  he  is  a  good  man. 
He  is  and  has  been  for  many  years  a  preacher  of  the  gospel. 
But  he  had  overlooked  this  command  of  his  Lord.  Had  he 
been  offering  that  petition  all  his  life,  he  would  have  thanked 
and  praised  God  when  his  child  felt  called  to  serve  as  a  mis- 
sionary. When  another  woman  and  her  husband  volunteered 
for  China  her  father  was  asked  if  he  did  not  protest  against  her 
going.  He  said  that  he  had  been  preaching  and  praying  for 
missions  for  forty  years ;  he  had  been  urging  gifted  and  edu- 
cated young  people  to  give  their  lives  to  propagate  the  gospel 
in  the  regions  beyond ;  how  could  he  consistently  oppose  when 
one  of  his  own  household  offered  herself  for  the  service  ?  So 
far  from  protesting  he  felt  that  an  honour  had  been  done  him 
and  his  family  such  as  could  not  have  been  done  by  all  the 
kings  and  nobles  in  the  world. 

John  G.  Paton  said  that  when  he  volunteered  for  the  New 
Hebrides,  he  was  besieged  with  the  strongest  opposition  on  all 
sides.  His  teacher  in  divinity,  the  minister  of  the  church 
under  which  he  was  serving  as  a  city  missionary,  repeatedly 
urged  him  to  remain  at  home.  He  insisted  that  he  was  leaving 
a  certainty  for  an  uncertainty.  He  was  leaving  a  work  in 
which  God  had  made  him  greatly  useful  for  a  work  in  which 
he  might  fail  to  be  useful,  and  only  throw  his  life  away  among 
cannibals.  Among  all  his  friends  there  were  only  two  who  en- 
couraged him  to  go  out.  He  spoke  to  his  parents  about  the 
matter.  They  told  him  that  when  he  was  born  they  laid  him 
upon  the  altar  to  be  consecrated,  if  God  saw  fit,  as  a  mission- 
ary of  the  cross,  and  that  it  had  been  their  constant  prayer 
that  he  might  be  prepared,  qualified,  and  led  to  this  very  de- 
cision, and  that  God  might  accept  their  offering,  long  spare 


A  Missionary  Chapter  in  the  Life  of  Christ     51 

him,  and  give  him  many  souls  from  among  the  heathen  for  his 
hire.  Dr.  Chamberlain  says  that  his  mother  was  the  instru- 
ment of  sending  eleven  of  her  sons  and  daughters  and  nephews 
and  nieces  into  the  foreign  field.  When  he  had,  with  his 
father  and  mother's  blessing,  consecrated  himself  to  this  work 
and  was  leaving  for  India,  he  learned  for  the  first  time,  that 
his  mother  as  her  first  act  after  the  birth  of  her  eldest  son,  had 
placed  him  before  the  Lord  and  vowed  that  he  should,  so  far 
as  her  consecration  and  influence  could  go,  be  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary. If  all  parents  did  so  there  would  be  workers  enough 
for  every  field.  Unfortunately  this  is  not  the  case.  The 
greatest  obstacle  of  the  British  Student  Volunteer  Movement 
is  that  parents  are  unwilling  that  their  children  should  become 
foreign  missionaries.  Those  who  go  out  have  to  go  in  spite  of 
the  protests  and  tears  of  their  parents.  That  is  true  in  America 
also.  Young  men  of  special  promise  are  urged  by  their  fami- 
lies and  friends  to  enter  some  profession  or  some  business  that 
promises  larger  financial  returns  than  the  ministry.  Not  only 
is  prayer  not  offered  for  more  labourers ;  the  prayers  that  are 
offered  look  in  the  opposite  direction. 

This  helps  to  account  for  the  lack  of  young  men  for  the  pul- 
pit. This  wail  is  coming  up  from  all  the  churches  and  from  all 
parts  of  the  country.  One  Eastern  Theological  school  that 
formerly  had  a  hundred  students  now  has  only  four.  Our  own 
churches  are  in  urgent  need  of  a  thousand  men  to  carry  on  the 
work  that  has  been  inaugurated.  Other  men  are  needed  to 
undertake  new  work.  The  truth  is,  that  the  churches  have 
overlooked  or  forgotten  our  Lord's  injunction.  They  are  la- 
menting the  lack  of  men,  but  are  not  acting  in  the  only  way 
that  promises  an  adequate  supply.  They  do  not  feel  the 
urgency  of  the  case.  They  do  not  recognize  the  need  of 
haste  and  constraint.  They  are  not  asking  God  to  thrust  men 
out  under  the  pressure  of  a  great  conviction.  If  a  strong 
church  wants  a  good  man  for  its  pulpit  it  does  not  hesitate  to 
rob   another   church.     This   is   done  without   regard   to   the 


if2  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Golden  Rule.  A  stranger  from  another  planet  entering  one  of 
our  churches  would  not  be  impressed  with  the  thought  that 
the  average  church  regarded  itself  as  a  recruiting  station,  and 
that  every  minister  and  Sunday-school  superintendent  regarded 
himself  as  a  recruiting  agent.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the 
supply  of  men  for  the  ministry  at  home  and  for  the  field  abroad 
is  so  inadequate.  The  Lord  will  not  raise  up  men  in  sufficient 
numbers  so  long  as  the  church  fails  to  realize  the  need  to  pray 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  labourers  into  His 
harvest.  If  He  should  send  them  the  church  would  not  em- 
ploy and  support  them.  The  present  dearth  of  men  is  the 
natural  and  direct  result  of  a  conspicuous  lack  of  prayer. 
There  is  only  one  way  in  which  this  dearth  can  be  overcome. 
Our  Lord  has  pointed  out  that  way.  When  the  church  heeds 
His  command  and  asks  in  faith  and  in  earnest  the  men  needed 
for  every  field  will  be  forthcoming. 


V 

THE  MISSIONARY  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE 
LORD'S  PRAYER 

After  this  manner  therefore  pray  ye:  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaveny  Hallowed  be  Thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy 
will  be  done,  as  in  heaven^  so  on  earth.  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our  debts  y  as  we  also  have  for- 
given our  debtors.  And  bring  us  not  into  temptation,  but  de- 
liver us  from  the  evil  one. — Matt.  6  :  9-13. 

OUR  Lord  had  just  referred  to  the  way  the  Gentiles 
prayed.  They  used  vain  repetitions,  thinking  they 
would  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking.  They  be- 
lieved that,  by  saying  the  same  prayer  a  great  many  times, 
they  would  earn  what  they  expected  to  receive.  Our  Lord  said 
to  His  disciples,  ''Be  not  therefore  like  unto  them  ;  for  your 
Father  knoweth  what  things  you  have  need  of  before  you  ask 
Him."  The  prayer  He  taught  them  is  remarkable  for  its  form 
and  for  its  contents.  It  is  brief  and  is  expressed  in  words  that 
a  child  can  understand.  At  the  same  time  it  is  so  comprehen- 
sive that  it  is  a  summary  of  all  the  principal  matters  for  which 
we  should  pray.  Marcus  Dods  says  it  would  take  a  lifetime  to 
fill  these  words  with  all  their  meaning,  and  eternity  to  give 
them  their  answer.  The  Lord's  Prayer  has  been  spoken  of  as 
"this  pearl  of  great  price,  this  purest  crystal  of  devotion,  to  be 
a  possession  of  His  people  forever,  never  to  lose  its  lustre 
through  millenniums  of  daily  use ;  its  beauty  and  preciousness 
becoming  more  and  more  manifest  to  each  successive  genera- 
tion." 

In   this  model   prayer  there   are  six  petitions.     These  are 
divided  into  two  groups  of  three  each.     The  first  group  refers  to 

53 


_J4  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

God,  to  the  hallowing  of  His  name,  the  coming  of  His  king- 
dom, the  doing  of  His  will.  The  second  group  refers  to  our 
own  needs,  daily  bread,  forgiveness,  guidance  and  deliverance. 
Only  one  petition  in  this  prayer  has  respect  to  any  bodily  need. 
The  order  of  these  petitions  is  significant ;  it  doubtless  was  in- 
tended to  guide  us  in  our  praying.  We  are  half  way  to  the 
end  before  we  make  any  personal  request.  We  are  thus  taught 
that,  in  praying,  the  things  of  God  should  come  first,  His 
honour.  His  glory.  His  supremacy.  We  see  where  He  places 
the  emphasis,  and  where  we  should  place  it.  Our  first  concern 
should  not  be  about  food  and  raiment,  but  about  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  His  righteousness. 

As  Christians  we  are  to  pray  for  ourselves,  but  if  we  are  con- 
tent with  that  we  shall  fail  of  the  grace  of  God.  *'  Religion," 
it  has  been  said,  "  is  indeed  a  personal  thing,  but  it  is  not 
therefore  a  principle  of  social  isolation.  We  must  visit  the 
closet ;  but  into  the  closet  we  must  carry  the  sympathies  of  the 
race,  and  bare  before  God  a  heart  that  can  take  in  the  whole 
world  in  its  wide  reach  of  intercession  and  fraternal  regard." 
The  first  words  of  this  prayer,  "  Our  Father,"  show  this.  The 
same  thing  appears  in  the  petitions,  **Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread  "  ;  *' Forgive  us  our  debts  "  ;  "Bring  us  not  into 
temptation  "  ;  *' Deliver  us  from  the  evil  one."  At  the  throne 
of  grace  selfishness  is  out  of  place.  A  Christian  seeks  for 
blessing  that  he  may  be  a  channel  of  blessing. 

"  Who  seeks  for  heaven  alone  to  save  his  soul 
May  keep  the  path,  but  will  not  reach  the  goal ; 
While  he  who  walks  in  Jove  may  wander  far, 
Yet  God  will  bring  him  where  the  blessed  are." 

The  missionary  significance  of  this  prayer  is  on  the  surface  and 
is  evident  to  all  who  have  eyes  to  see.  The  first  three  petitions 
are  clearly  and  unmistakably  missionary  in  their  character ;  the 
second  three  are  scarcely  less  so. 

When  the  disciples  prayed  they  were  to  say  : — 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     ^^ 

I.  "  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven^  No  Old  Testament 
saint  addressed  God  in  this  fashion.  Abraham  was  a  friend  of 
God  \  Moses  knew  God  face  to  face ;  David  was  a  man  after 
God's  own  heart;  but  no  one  of  these  said,  *' Our  Father." 
No  pagan  addressed  his  god  so.  The  gods  of  the  heathen 
were  capricious,  unjust,  unloving ;  they  had  no  deep  and  abid- 
ing interest  in  the  welfare  of  mankind.  It  was  not  with  such 
gods  that  the  disciples  had  to  do ;  but  with  a  Father  who  knew 
their  needs  before  they  expressed  them,  and  who  was  both  able 
and  willing  to  supply  every  need  according  to  His  own  riches  in 
glory.  In  this  same  sermon  Jesus  said,  *'  Or  what  man  is 
there  of  you,  who,  if  his  son  shall  ask  him  for  a  loaf,  will  give 
him  a  stone  ;  or  if  he  shall  ask  for  a  fish,  will  give  him  a  ser- 
pent? Tf  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  to 
your  children,  how  much  more  shall  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask  Him?"  Because 
God  is  our  Father  He  will  withhold  no  good  thing  from  us ;  He 
will  turn  every  event  to  our  advantage ;  He  will  do  for  us  far 
exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think.  Our 
Lord  addressed  God  as  "My  Father  "  ;  He  taught  us  to  ad- 
dress Him  as  "  Our  Father."  Love  is  the  essence  of  father- 
hood, and  God  is  love.  It  is  because  He  is  our  Father  that  we 
can  approach  Him  in  the  fullest  assurance  that  He  will  hear 
and  answer. 

II.  ^'Hallowed  be  Thy  name''  The  name  of  God  ex- 
presses His  character  as  He  has  been  pleased  to  reveal  it.  To 
Moses  He  said,  *'I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and 
unto  Jacob,  by  the  name  of  God  Almighty,  but  by  the  name  of 
Jehovah  I  was  not  known  to  them."  Here  was  a  new  dis- 
closure of  the  divine  nature.  "Jehovah  "  signified  the  eternal 
and  unchangeable  one,  who  is,  and  who  was,  and  who  is  to 
come.  Later  on  He  revealed  Himself  as  the  holy  one  of 
Israel.  Later  still  He  revealed  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  is 
the  effulgence  of  His  glory,  and  the  very  image  of  His  sub- 
stance.    Christ  embraced  and  expressed  His  entire  perfection. 


56  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

So  He  could  say,  **He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the 
Father."  "If  ye  had  known  Me  ye  would  have  known  My 
Father  also ;  from  henceforth  ye  have  known  Him  and  have 
seen  Him." 

We  cannot  make  the  divine  name  holy ;  it  is  holy.  The 
seraphim  said,  **Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  God  of  hosts." 
But  we  can  consider  His  name  as  holy,  and  reverence  it  as  such. 
We  hallow  God's  name  when  we  dismiss  all  unworthy  con- 
ceptions of  His  character,  and  regard  Him  as  a  being  of  in- 
finite holiness,  goodness,  power,  and  love  ;  when  we  regard  His 
revelation  of  Himself  as  the  one  supreme  standard  of  truth  and 
righteousness ;  when  we  show  Him  the  obedience  and  devotion 
due  Him.  **  We  hallow  His  name  when  we  display  holiness  in 
our  whole  being  and  character,  inwardly  and  outwardly,  so 
that  disposition,  word  and  deed  are  regulated  by  the  acknowl- 
edged perfection  of  God  and  brought  into  harmony  with  it." 
We  hallow  His  name  when  we  make  Him  known  to  others  and 
show  them  that  He  is  worthy  of  their  love  and  trust  and  serv- 
ice. "  Those  that  know  Thy  name  will  put  their  trust  in 
Thee."  To  a  missionary  who  was  telling  the  people  of  God  it 
was  said,  "  Had  we  known  Him  we  would  be  worshipping 
Him."  Many  are  seeking  after  God  as  others  are  seeking  for 
the  prizes  of  this  life.  They  go  on  long  pilgrimages ;  they 
worship  in  the  temples  and  burn  incense  before  the  idols ;  they 
fast  and  pray.  They  say,  <'  My  soul  is  athirst  for  God,  for  the 
living  God;  when  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God?" 
We  can  hallow  the  divine  name  by  giving  these  earnest  souls  a 
knowledge  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ.  There  are  those  who 
stand  aloof  from  God  and  profane  His  name  because  they  are 
ignorant  of  Him.  They  think  He  is  a  hard  master ;  that  He 
requires  them  to  forego  innocent  pleasures  and  things  they 
highly  prize.  They  think  His  service  is  bondage  and  weari- 
ness. They  do  not  know  that  in  His  presence  there  is  fullness 
of  joy,  that  at  His  right  hand  are  pleasures  forevermore.  We 
hallow  His  name  by  publishing  the  truth. 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     57 

We  dishonour  God  by  dismissing  Him  from  our  thought ;  by 
acting  as  if  He  did  not  know  or  care  how  we  conduct  ourselves. 
Paul  told  his  own  people  that  the  name  of  God  was  blas- 
phemed among  the  Gentiles  because  of  them.  Their  immoral 
conduct  convinced  the  Gentiles  that  they  had  an  immoral  God 
and  Lawgiver.  For  this  reason  they  spoke  of  Him  with  con- 
tempt. If  we  offer  this  petition,  **  Hallowed  be  Thy  name," 
the  effect  of  our  lives  will  be  the  opposite  of  this.  God's  name 
will  be  honoured  by  all  with  whom  we  have  to  do. 

III.  <*  Thy  Kingdom  come:'  Daniel  foretold  that  the  God 
of  heaven  would  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  would  never  be  des- 
troyed, and  this  kingdom  would  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it 
would  break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  other  kingdoms,  and  it 
would  stand  forever.  Bruce  speaks  of  this  kingdom  as  the 
reign  of  divine  love  exercised  by  God  in  His  grace  over  human 
hearts  believing  in  His  love,  and  constrained  thereby  to  yield 
Him  grateful  affection  and  devoted  service.  Our  Lord  had 
much  to  say  about  the  kingdom.  Most  of  His  parables  had  to 
do  with  it.  Each  one  sets  forth  some  phase  of  it.  It  was  like 
the  hidden  treasure  which  men  would  willingly  buy  with  all 
their  possessions.  It  was  like  the  precious  pearl  for  which  all 
else  would  be  exchanged.  The  kingdom  was  the  chief  good. 
The  character  of  the  kingdom  was  foretold.  It  was  to  be  all 
righteous.  Violence  and  destruction  would  be  unknown  within 
its  borders.  It  was  to  be  a  universal  kingdom.  God  had 
said,  "  I  will  be  exalted  among  the  nations ;  I  will  be  exalted 
in  the  earth."  Many  shall  come  from  the  East  and  from  the 
West  and  from  the  North  and  from  the  South,  and  shall  sit 
down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

The  kingdom  was  set  up  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The 
Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  because  Jesus  the  crucified  was 
glorified.  But  until  He  is  recognized  by  all  peoples  as  King  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  until  He  fills  and  controls  all  institu- 
tions and  all  souls,  it  would  seem  that  this  petition  can  be  ap- 


58  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

propriately  offered.  This  petition  refers  to  its  further  growth 
and  the  more  perfect  development  of  its  principles.  It  refers 
to  **the  full  and  final  establishment  of  God's  realm,  in  which 
all  men  will  do  Him  willing  service,  and  all  habits  and  customs, 
individual  and  social,  will  be  such  as  He  approves." 

It  goes  with  the  saying  that  the  great  majority  of  mankind  do 
not  now  hallow  the  name  of  the  Most  High ;  that  among  them 
His  kingdom  has  not  been  established.  Two-thirds  of  the  race 
adhere  to  the  non-Christian  faiths.  They  look  to  Buddha  and 
Confucius  and  Zoroaster  and  Laotsze  and  Mohammed  and  not 
to  Jesus  of  Nazareth  for  guidance  in  all  religious  matters. 
They  serve  other  gods  and  do  things  that  are  evil  and  injurious 
to  themselves  and  to  others.  As  long  as  there  is  idolatry,  and 
polygamy,  and  infanticide,  and  slavery,  and  cruelty,  and  dis- 
honesty, and  anger,  and  malice,  and  hatred  in  the  world ;  as 
long  as  the  great  prophecies  concerning  the  world-wide  con- 
quest of  the  kingdom  are  unfulfilled,  this  prayer  can  and  should 
be  offered,  **  Thy  Kingdom  come."  *'To  this  end  let  the 
gospel  be  preached  to  all  and  be  embraced  by  all.  Let  all  be 
brought  to  subscribe  to  the  record  that  God  has  given  of  His 
Son,  and  to  accept  Him  as  their  Saviour  and  Sovereign.  Let 
the  bounds  of  the  church  be  enlarged,  and  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  be  made  Christ's  kingdom  and  all  men  become  subjects 
of  it,  and  live  as  becomes  their  character." 

There  was  a  Jewish  proverb  that  said,  *' There  is  no  prayer 
where  there  is  no  mention  of  the  kingdom."  The  coming  of 
the  kingdom  was  the  supreme  object  of  pious  longing.  The 
Old  Testament  saints  put  the  kingdom  first  in  their  thought 
and  in  their  prayer.  Our  Lord  did  the  same.  With  the 
Gentiles  the  great  questions  were,  "  What  shall  I  eat?  What 
shall  I  drink  ?  Wherewithal  shall  I  be  clothed  ?  "  There  was 
no  consuming  desire  that  the  names  of  their  gods  should  be 
hallowed,  or  that  their  kingdom  should  come,  or  that  their  will 
should  be  done.  Their  stomach  was  their  chief  deity.  Their 
first  concern  was  to  fill  their  mouths.     Our  Lord  would  have 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     59 

His  disciples  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  right- 
eousness. If  they  would  do  this  all  needed  things  would  be 
added  to  them.  The  heavenly  Father  knew  that  they  had 
need  of  these  things.  He  would  not  forget  or  fail  them  if  they 
would  seek  the  kingdom  and  its  interests  first. 

IV.  ' '  Thy  will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  on  earths  God's 
nature  expresses  itself  in  His  will.  He  is  absolutely  holy  and 
loving ;  His  will  is  the  same.  God  is  not  willing  that  any 
should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  This  is  His  will  concerning  us,  even  our  sanctification. 
He  wills  all  that  is  best  for  His  children.  He  wills  a  perfect 
social  order.  He  anticipates  the  time  when  injustice  and  in- 
iquity shall  pass  away  forever,  and  when  every  soul  born  into 
this  world  shall  have  a  chance  to  Hve  a  complete  life.  "As  in 
heaven,  so  on  earth."  This  is  the  divine  ideal.  It  is  said  of 
angels  that  excel  in  strength,  that  they  do  His  commandments, 
hearkening  to  the  voice  of  His  word. 

God's  will  is  done  in  the  natural  world.  There  is  seed-time 
and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and  summer  and  winter,  and  day 
and  night.  The  moon  knows  her  appointed  seasons,  and  the 
sun  his  going  down.  Fire  and  hail,  snow  and  vapour,  and  the 
stormy  wind  fulfill  His  word.  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that 
God's  will  be  done  in  the  moral  sphere  as  it  is  in  the  natural. 
Our  Lord  did  not  ask  us  to  pray  for  this  good  thing  or  that,  but 
that  God's  will  be  done.  We  can  pray  for  nothing  higher  than 
that  His  will  be  done  on  earth  heartily,  joyfully,  everlastingly. 
Compliance  with  His  will  is  the  highest  wisdom.  CompHance 
with  His  will  secures  for  us  all  good  things.  Because  we  are 
in  the  image  of  God  we  have  wills  of  our  own,  and  can  defy 
the  Omnipotent.  It  is  because  we  are  what  we  are  and  not 
brute  beasts  or  inanimate  objects  that  sin  is  in  the  world.  By 
a  proper  exercise  of  our  wills  we  can  yield  ourselves  to  God 
and  spend  and  be  spent  in  His  delightful  service. 

Our  Lord  said,  "  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
Me  and  to  finish  His  work."    "  My  Father  loves  Me  because  I 


6o  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

always  do  those  things  that  please  Him."  "  I  have  glorified 
Thee  on  the  earth ;  I  have  finished  the  work  Thou  gavest 
Me  to  do."  "Not  My  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  The 
petition  He  taught  His  disciples  to  off'er  He  illustrated  in  His 
own  life.  He  did  God's  will  at  any  cost.  He  saw  the  people 
forsaking  Him ;  He  saw  the  shadow  of  the  cross ;  He  saw  the 
bitter  cup  He  must  drink;  but  He  went  forward  unmoved. 
What  He  did  He  would  have  all  men  do.  If  God's  will  were 
done  by  all  created  intelligences,  there  would  not  be  such  a  thing 
as  a  heathen  temple,  or  a  heathen  idol,  or  an  unevangelized  race, 
or  an  unchristian  home,  or  an  unsaved  soul  in  the  universe. 
There  would  not  be  a  saloon,  or  a  gambling  den,  or  a  jail,  or 
a  reformatory,  or  a  police  court,  or  a  sweat  shop,  or  a  slum,  or 
a  standing  army,  or  a  battleship.  There  would  be  nothing  to 
degrade  or  to  destroy.  Everything  would  have  a  tendency 
to  uplift  and  to  ennoble.  All  the  families  of  the  earth  would 
be  blessed  and  would  be  a  blessing.  The  nations  would  be  all 
righteous.  There  would  be  the  new  heaven  and  the  new 
earth,  foretold  by  bards  and  seers.  God's  eternal  purpose 
would  be  accomplished.  This  it  is  that  we  are  to  pray  for, 
that  God's  will  may  be  done  everywhere  and  always  and  by 
all. 

V.  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread ^  Man  does  not 
live  by  bread  alone;  neither  does  he  live  without  bread. 
Nourishing  bread  satisfies  hunger  and  strengthens  us  for  the 
time  to  come.  It  enables  us  to  fill  our  places  in  the  Kingdom 
and  to  do  those  things  that  please  God.  It  is  daily  bread  for 
which  we  are  to  pray  and  not  great  riches.  Agur  prayed, 
"  Feed  me  with  the  food  that  is  needful  for  me ;  lest  I  be  full, 
and  deny  Thee,  and  say,  '  Who  is  Jehovah  ? '  Or  lest  I  be 
poor,  and  steal,  and  use  profanely  the  name  of  my  God." 
The  two  classes  that  are  hardest  to  reach  with  the  gospel  are 
the  very  rich  and  the  very  poor.  One  class  is  burdened  with 
too  much ;  the  other  is  embittered  because  of  too  little.  The 
Christian  life  is  one  of  trust.     It  is  well  that  we  should  live  in 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     61 

habitual  dependence  upon  God.  If  we  do  this  we  shall  never 
come  to  want.  He  is  good  to  all,  and  His  tender  mercies  are 
over  all  His  works.  He  opens  His  hand  and  supplies  the 
wants  of  every  living  thing.  He  hears  the  young  ravens  when 
they  cry.  Not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  without  His 
notice.  He  will  never  leave  us  nor  forsake  us.  The  treasures 
of  the  universe  are  in  His  hands.  Giving  does  not  impoverish 
Him ;  withholding  does  not  enrich  Him.  He  is  able  to  make 
all  grace  abound  towards  us,  that  we  always  having  all 
sufficiency  in  everything,  may  abound  unto  every  good  work." 
Heine  said,  "  We  are  of  age  now,  and  do  not  need  a 
Father's  care."  Many  think  they  are  dependent  upon  their 
own  efforts  alone  for  their  daily  food.  But  is  it  so  ?  To  be 
sure.  He  does  not  rain  down  manna  to-day.  He  does  not 
multiply  the  loaves  and  fishes  for  us.  But  when  we  plant  and 
water  it  is  God  that  gives  the  increase.  He  gives  the  warm 
earth,  and  the  living  seed,  and  the  genial  sunshine  and  the  re- 
freshing rain.  The  farm  products  of  the  American  people  last 
year  were  worth  more  than  six  billions  of  dollars;  without 
God's  part  they  would  not  have  been  worth  six  mills.  He 
causes  the  seed  to  grow  and  the  fruit  to  ripen.  It  is  in  God 
that  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being.  It  is  God  who 
gives  us  power  to  get  wealth.  Apart  from  Him  we  plan  and 
labour  in  vain. 

«  Back  of  the  loaf  is  the  snowy  flour, 
And  back  of  the  flour  is  the  mill ; 
And  back  of  the  mill  is  the  wheat  and  the  shower 
And  the  sun  and  the  Father's  will." 

VI.  ^^  Forgive  us  our  debts y  as  we  also  forgive  our 
debtors''  It  was  moral  debts  that  our  Lord  had  in  mind. 
This  is  clear  from  what  follows  on  this  topic.  *'  For  if  ye  for- 
give men  their  trespasses,  your  heavenly  Father  will  also 
forgive  you.  But  if  you  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses, 
neither  will  your   heavenly  Father  forgive  your  trespasses." 


62  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Forgiveness  of  sin  is  a  vital  matter  because  sin  alienates  us 
from  the  life  of  God.  Sin  must  be  put  away  if  we  would  have 
any  place  in  the  Kingdom.  Sin  disqualifies  us  for  service. 
While  sin  is  indulged  in  or  the  guilt  of  sin  is  unpurged  we  can- 
not run  in  the  way  of  God's  commandments ;  we  cannot  delight 
ourselves  in  God,  and  God  cannot  delight  Himself  in  us. 
There  can  be  no  constancy  and  no  heartiness  and  no  blessed- 
ness in  any  service  we  may  seek  to  render.  This  is  true  of 
sins  that  are  negative  and  of  sins  that  are  positive  in  their 
nature,  of  sins  of  omission  and  of  commission.  If  we 
would  do  the  will  of  God  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in 
heaven,  sin  must  be  forgiven.  That  clears  the  past  and 
lays  the  foundation  for  what  is  to  come.  *' Blessed  is  the 
man  whose  transgression  is  hid,  whose  sin  is  covered.  Blessed 
is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  imputes  not  iniquity."  He  is 
prepared  for  service  and  for  blessedness  as  the  man  whose  sin 
remains  is  not  and  cannot  be.  Forgiveness  is  not  everything. 
We  need  to  be  energized  for  all  the  way  and  work  of  life  as 
much  as  we  need  to  be  cleansed.  But  forgiveness  is  essential. 
The  ship  must  weigh  anchor  before  she  can  start  on  her 
voyage. 

VII.  ^^  And  bring  us  not  into  temptation^  hut  deliver  us 
from  the  evil  one''  Our  Lord  here  refers  to  situations  and 
circumstances  that  furnish  occasion  for  sinning.  Elsewhere 
He  said  to  His  disciples,  "Watch  and  pray  that  ye  enter  not 
into  temptation.  The  spirit  indeed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is 
weak."  There  are  evil  propensities  and  passions  in  our 
nature.  When  we  would  do  good  evil  is  powerfully  present 
with  us.  So  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  good  we  would  we  do 
not ;  and  the  evil  we  would  not,  that  we  practice.  Because  of 
the  inherent  weakness  of  the  flesh  we  are  in  constant  danger  of 
being  led  astray.  This  being  the  case  this  petition  has  a  right- 
ful place  in  this  prayer.  *<In  offering  this  petition  we  are 
asking  God  to  so  order  our  lives  that  we  shall  have  the  least 
temptation  to  sin ;  that  we  may  be  called  to  fill  positions  in 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     63 

which  there  may  be  the  least  opportunity  of  gratifying  those  of 
our  inclinations  to  sin  which  are  the  strongest,  and  in  which 
the  opposite  tendencies  may  be  most  easily  and  most  effectively 
matured."  There  are  those  whose  society  leads  in  the  wrong 
direction.  In  their  presence  it  is  almost  impossible  to  live  as 
we  should.  There  are  places  in  which  the  same  is  true.  In 
her  youth,  so  it  is  said,  George  Eliot  was  a  guest  in  a  skeptical 
home  for  some  months.  Nothing  was  said  against  Christi- 
anity. But  in  that  atmosphere  her  faith  was  undermined.  No 
attack  was  made  on  her  views.  No  effort  was  made  to  con- 
vert her.  But  she  left  that  house  a  different  woman  from  what 
she  was  when  she  entered  it.  In  this  prayer  we  ask  God  not 
to  bring  us  into  such  society  or  into  such  places. 

There  are  others  whose  society  makes  us  ashamed  of  all  that 
is  small  and  mean  and  unworthy,  and  that  makes  us  eager  to 
do  the  best  of  which  we  are  capable.  They  act  on  us  like  a 
tonic  or  a  cold  bath  or  a  mountain  breeze.  We  cannot  go  near 
them  without  feeling  a  new  impulse  to  live  as  we  know  we 
should.  Lord  Peterborough,  after  living  for  some  time  with 
the  saintly  Fenelon,  said,  ''  If  I  remain  here  much  longer  I  will 
become  a  Christian  in  spite  of  myself. "  A  bookseller  had  in 
his  room  a  picture  of  F.  W.  Robertson,  the  great  preacher. 
He  said,  ''When  I  am  tempted  to  do  a  wrong  act  I  look  at 
that  face  and  the  temptation  is  at  an  end."  There  are  places 
that  effect  us  the  same  way.  We  feel  a  certain  moral  elevation 
such  as  one  feels  in  a  cathedral.  The  soul  aspires  to  some- 
thing larger  and  better  than  it  has  ever  experienced.  It  is 
into  such  society  and  such  places  that  we  would  be  brought. 

We  are  surprised  at  times.  We  meet  temptation  when  we 
are  not  looking  for  it  and  when  we  are  not  prepared  to  with- 
stand it.  That  was  Peter's  condition  when  he  denied  his 
Lord.  He  was  not  expecting  to  be  challenged.  If  he  had 
been  on  his  guard  it  is  likely  that  he  would  have  gone  to  prison 
and  to  death  rather  than  do  what  he  did.  When  we  pray, 
<*  Bring   us   not  into  temptation"  we  are  asking  to  be  pro- 


64  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

tected  against  sudden  attacks.  We  cannot  and  we  ought  not 
to  expect  to  escape  temptation  altogether.  But  we  can  refuse 
to  parley  with  it,  or  to  put  ourselves  in  its  way ;  we  can 
fortify  ourselves  against  it.  If  we  pray  against  it  God  is 
faithful  and  will  not  suffer  us  to  be  tempted  above  what  we  are 
able  to  bear,  but  will  with  the  temptation  make  a  way  of  escape, 
that  we  may  be  able  to  bear  it. 

This  is  not  all.  The  other  clause  of  this  petition  says, 
**  Deliver  us  from  the  evil  one."  The  thought  here  is  that  of 
rescue.  If  we  should  be  taken  by  surprise  and  held  by  the 
enemy.  He  will  pluck  us  out  of  his  hands.  Peter  was  thus 
rescued.  He  fell  into  sin,  but  he  repented  and  wept  bitterly. 
We  know  what  followed.  The  Lord  restored  him  to  his  place 
in  His  favour  and  among  the  apostles  and  gave  him  the  keys  of 
the  Kingdom.  Peter  opened  the  door  to  both  Jew  and  Gentile. 
Under  his  first  sermon  three  thousand  were  won  to  the  faith. 
Myriads  of  others  who  have  yielded  to  temptation  have  been 
rescued  from  the  clutches  of  the  evil  one,  and  have  been  made 
meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light. 

This  prayer  teaches  and  all  Scripture  reinforces  the  teaching 
that  the  Kingdom  is  to  be  considered  first.  Its  claims  are  to 
be  answered  first.  Its  needs  are  to  be  attended  to  first.  That 
is  what  Livingstone  did.  He  placed  no  value  on  anything  he 
had  or  might  have  except  in  relation  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Whatever  he  had  would  be  given  or  kept  according  as  by  giving 
or  keeping  he  could  do  most  to  further  the  interests  of  his 
Lord.  Carey's  thought  was  the  same.  The  kingdom  was 
first ;  he  cobbled  shoes  to  pay  expenses.  Paul  had  the  same 
conception.  He  held  his  life  of  no  account  to  himself  if  he 
could  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  he  had 
received  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God. 

This  is  as  it  should  be  with  all.  But  is  it  so?  Churches 
are  ready  to  do  anything  for  themselves.  They  provide  every- 
thing that  is  needed  and  often  a  great  deal  more.     No  expendi- 


Missionary  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Prayer     65 

ture  is  too  great.  With  many  churches  there  is  no  concern  for 
anything  beyond  their  own  little  and  local  affairs.  The  serv- 
ices are  all  based  on  the  primacy  and  preeminence  of  the  local 
work.  There  is  little  thought  of  anything  beyond  that. 
There  is  no  passion  for  the  world-wide  spread  and  the  com- 
plete supremacy  of  the  kingdom.  There  is  no  consuming  de- 
sire that  to  Christ  every  knee  shall  bow.  What  is  done  to 
give  the  gospel  to  the  nations  is  done  by  a  few,  and  not  by  the 
entire  body  of  believers.  One  church  gives  a  million  and  a 
quarter  of  dollars  in  twenty  years.  Only  one-fifth  of  that 
amount  is  spent  upon  itself;  the  rest  is  used  for  city  missions, 
for  home  missions  and  for  foreign  missions.  That  church  is 
an  exception  to  the  general  rule.  More  than  half  the  Chris- 
tian people  alive  to-day  do  nothing  to  help  Christ  accomplish 
His  purpose.  It  should  be  far  otherwise.  It  would  be  far 
otherwise  if  we  prayed  "after  this  manner."  At  the  close  of 
the  Franco- German  war  French  nobles  wore  coarse  and 
cheap  clothing.  They  said  they  must  do  that  till  the  indem- 
nity was  paid  and  France  was  free.  The  people  of  Japan 
made  many  and  great  sacrifices  that  the  army  might  be 
victorious  over  Russia.  They  would  have  thought  it  a  shame- 
ful thing  for  them  to  live  in  luxury  while  the  very  life  of  the 
nation  was  at  stake.  The  national  welfare  came  first.  They 
were  ready  for  any  service  and  for  any  sacrifice  that  Japan 
might  have  an  honoured  place  among  the  nations  of  the 
world.  It  would  be  so  now  if  all  believers  felt  and  acted  as 
they  should  feel  and  act.  If  they  would  put  that  first  which 
Christ  put  first,  there  would  be  no  lack  of  men  or  means  for 
the  work  of  the  world's  evangelization.  In  that  case  God's 
name  would  be  known  and  hallowed  among  all  peoples ;  His 
kingdom  would  fill  the  whole  earth ;  and  His  will  would  be 
done  by  all  men  everywhere  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 

The  gracious  promise  is,  "Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive;  seek, 
and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 
**  Wherever  two  of  you  agree  as  touching  anything  it  shall  be 


66  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

done  of  My  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  "If  ye  ask  anything 
in  My  name,  I  will  do  it."  *'  This  is  the  confidence  that  we 
have  in  Him,  that,  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  His  will, 
He  hears  us."  The  privilege  of  prayer  is  ours.  The  power 
to  effect  great  results  is  ours.  For  while  we  pray  God  acts. 
He  says,  "  Before  they  call  I  will  answer,  and  while  they  are 
yet  speaking  I  will  hear."  '*  Thus  to  a  child  of  God  bowed  in 
prayer  that  the  gospel  may  be  sent  to  all  lands,  though  he  may  not 
see  it,  yet  as  he  prays  God  baffles  the  powers  of  darkness ;  as 
he  prays  God  moves  in  the  hearts  of  kings ;  as  he  prays  God 
breaks  down  the  barriers  to  evangelization ;  as  he  prays  God 
opens  up  the  pathway  to  forbidden  lands ;  as  he  prays  God 
unclasps  the  purses  of  his  children  j  as  he  prays  God  raises  up 
and  thrusts  forth  the  gospel  messengers  to  the  whitened 
harvests."  This  is  our  privilege.  If  the  whole  church  will 
use  it  we  shall  see  the  whole  world  evangelized  in  a  generation 
or  in  less  time.     God  help  us  to  pray  as  we  have  been  taught. 


VI 

FIVE  LOAVES  AND  TWO  FISHES 
John  6  :  1-14 

I  THINK  it  worthy  of  remark  that,  of  all  the  miracles 
wrought  by  our  Lord,  this  is  the  only  one  of  which  we 
have  a  fourfold  record.  The  evangelists  had  seen  Him 
open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  unstop  the  ears  of  the  deaf; 
they  had  seen  Him  cleanse  the  leper,  heal  the  demoniac,  the 
palsied,  the  withered,  the  impotent,  the  lunatic,  the  epileptic ; 
they  had  seen  Him  raise  the  dead  :  but  this  was  the  only  one 
of  His  mighty  works  that  so  impressed  all  four  that  each  one 
has  given  us  an  account  of  it.  When  we  study  this  miracle 
and  note  its  effect  upon  those  who  witnessed  it  and  read  the 
marvellous  discourse  on  the  Bread  of  Life  that  follows  and  that 
is  based  upon  it,  I  think  we  begin  to  understand  why  all  four 
evangelists  were  so  profoundly  impressed  by  it. 

Let  us  endeavour  to  call  up  the  scene.  They  were  in  a 
desert  place.  A  great  multitude  was  present.  Men  were 
there ;  women  were  there ;  children  were  there.  The  people 
in  that  part  of  the  country  heard  that  the  great  Teacher  was 
in  their  neighbourhood  and  they  ran  out  to  meet  Him.  The 
caravans  going  up  to  the  Passover  feast  turned  aside  to  see 
Him  and  to  hear  the  gracious  words  that  fell  from  His  lips. 
They  had  been  there  for  three  days.  They  were  tired  and 
hungry  and  had  nothing  to  eat.  The  problem  was  how  to  feed 
so  many  in  that  desert  place.  If  they  should  be  dismissed  in 
their  then  exhausted  condition  they  would  faint  by  the 
way.  Our  Lord  knew  what  He  was  about  to  do;  but  He 
asked  His  disciples  what  they  had  to  propose.  He  did  this  in 
order  to  test  and  to  develop  their  faith. 

67 


68  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Several  suggestions  were  made  in  answer  to  His  inquiry. 
The  first  was  this,  "  Send  them  away,  that  they  may  go  into 
the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  food."  The  man  who  said 
that  felt  something  like  this,  "These  people  are  not  our  guests. 
They  did  not  come  here  in  response  to  our  invitation.  We 
are  under  no  obligation  to  supply  their  needs.  Their  condition 
is  their  affair,  not  ours.  Let  them  go  into  the  country  round- 
about and  buy  themselves  food  and  secure  shelter  for  the 
night."  Another  said,  '*If  we  had  money  enough  we  would 
gladly  relieve  the  necessities  of  these  people.  But  it  would 
take  two  hundred  shillings  to  do  that,  and  we  do  not  have  that 
much  money  in  our  treasury. ' '  A  third  intimated  that  he  had 
been  conducting  a  quiet  investigation  and  all  he  could  discover 
in  the  company  were  five  barley  cakes  and  two  small  fish. 
**But  what  are  these  among  so  many  ?  "  To  his  mind  it  was 
preposterous  and  absurd  to  think  of  doing  anything  with  that 
slender  stock  of  provisions  among  such  a  great  host  of  famished 
people. 

To  my  mind  the  pathos  of  this  situation  arises  not  from  the 
fact  that  there  were  so  many  people  present,  and  that  they  were 
weary  and  hungry,  and  that  they  had  no  food  and  no  funds 
with  which  to  buy  food  ;  the  pathos  of  the  situation  arises  from 
the  fact  that  the  disciples  had  no  faith  in  their  Lord  as  a  source 
of  supply.  They  had  been  with  Him  for  some  considerable 
time.  They  had  heard  Him  speak  as  man  never  spoke.  They 
had  seen  Him  do  things  that  had  not  been  done  since  the  world 
began.  But  in  this  new  emergency  it  does  not  appear  that  one 
of  them  thought  of  His  ability  to  meet  it.  It  did  not  occur  to 
Peter  or  to  James  or  to  John  or  to  any  other  follower  that  in 
some  Divine  way  He  would  be  able  to  feed  these  multitudes. 
They  took  stock  of  what  they  had.  They  knew  it  was  inade- 
quate. Their  conclusion  was  that  nothing  could  be  done.  To 
their  thought  the  case  was  hopeless.  Therein  lies  the  pathos 
of  the  situation. 

Let  us  note  our  Lord's  attitude  and  action  in  the  premises. 


Five  Loaves  and  Two  Fishes  69 

It  is  said  that  when  He  saw  the  multitudes  He  was  moved  with 
compassion  for  them.  His  great  loving  heart  went  out  in 
sympathy  towards  them  in  their  need.  And  when  the  sugges- 
tion was  made  that  He  send  them  away  that  they  might  go  into 
the  villages  and  buy  themselves  food,  He  said,  "  They  need 
not  depart.  Give  ye  them  to  eat."  He  recognized  the  fact 
that  these  people  were  there  to  hear  His  teaching  and  for  no 
other  purpose.  It  was  for  Him  and  for  those  who  stood  closest 
to  Him  to  act  the  host.  And  when  the  plea  of  inability  was 
urged  He  inquired  what  they  had.  When  they  told  Him  that 
they  had  only  five  loaves  and  two  fishes  He  said,  *'  Bring  what 
you  have  to  Me."  When  they  brought  it  He  told  the  disciples 
to  cause  the  people  to  sit  down  in  companies  on  the  grass. 
This  was  that  the  work  of  feeding  might  be  facilitated  and  that 
no  one  might  be  overlooked.  When  all  were  seated  He  gave 
thanks  to  God  for  the  bread  and  for  the  fish.  Then  He  began 
to  break  and  to  distribute  to  the  disciples,  and  the  disciples  to 
the  multitudes.  In  His  Divine  fingers  the  bread  was  multiplied 
as  if  by  magic  and  the  fish  was  multiplied  so  that  there  was  no 
need  of  doling  them  out ;  there  was  no  need  of  any  one  eating 
sparingly.  The  record  said  that  they  did  all  eat  as  much  as 
they  would.  Two  of  the  evangelists  said  that  they  ate  till  they 
were  gorged.  It  was  like  a  Christmas  or  a  Thanksgiving 
dinner  where  people  eat  till  they  are  filled  up  to  the  throat  and 
can  eat  no  more.  Matthew  says,  "  And  they  that  did  eat  were 
about  five  thousand  men,  besides  women  and  children."  It 
has  occurred  to  me  that  the  last  clause  is  added  because 
women  and  children  eat  as  much  as  men,  if  not  more.  This 
touch  helps  us  to  understand  the  greatness  of  the  miracle. 
Probably  ten  thousand  people  were  fed  in  that  desert  place  as 
the  sun  was  going  down.  Then  the  Teacher  said,  "  Gather 
up  the  broken  pieces  which  remain  over  that  nothing  be  lost." 
The  fragments  filled  twelve  great  wicker  baskets  full.  That 
which  remained  over  was  a  hundred  times  as  much  as  they  had 
in  hand  when  the  work  of  feeding  began. 


yo  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

This  is  one  of  the  greatest  missionary  lessons  in  the  Word  of 
God.  Two-thirds  of  the  race  are  without  the  gospel.  They 
are  weary  of  their  false  faiths.  They  are  starving  for  the  bread 
of  life.  And  the  question  which  our  Lord  is  asking  the  church 
is  this,  ''How  are  these  souls  to  be  fed?"  Substantially  the 
same  answers  are  made  now  that  were  made  that  evening  as  the 
sun  was  going  down.  Some  say,  **  Send  them  away.  We  are 
not  responsible  for  their  ignorance  and  superstition  and  idol- 
atry and  savagery.  If  they  are  hungry  for  something  better 
than  they  have  let  them  go  where  it  is  and  get  it. ' '  More  than 
half  the  churches  in  America  say  that  or  something  like  that. 
Others  say,  "  If  we  had  money  enough  we  would  be  willing  to 
do  something.  If  we  were  all  Rockefellers  or  Carnegies  or 
Morgans  we  would  contribute  something  to  send  the  gospel  to 
those  who  are  without  hope  because  without  a  knowledge  of 
God.  But  by  the  time  we  pay  our  minister  and  our  chorister 
and  organist  and  soloist  and  our  janitor  and  keep  our  property 
clean  and  comfortable  and  in  good  repair,  our  funds  are 
exhausted.  By  the  time  we  meet  all  our  local  current  expenses 
we  have  given  all  that  we  are  able  to  give."  Others  say,  "  To 
be  sure  we  could  do  a  little ;  but  what  we  could  do  is  so  small 
that  it  is  not  worth  while  What  is  it  among  a  thousand 
millions  without  the  gospel  ? ' '  Each  year  hundreds  of  churches 
make  offerings,  but  because  they  are  so  small  they  are  not  for- 
warded to  the  missionary  treasury.  They  are  turned  over  to 
the  general  fund  and  the  society  gets  nothing. 

Here,  as  in  the  other  case,  the  pathos  arises  not  from  the  fact 
that  two-thirds  of  the  race  are  without  the  gospel,  nor  from  the 
fact  that  the  church  is  not  made  up  of  millionaires  ;  it  arises 
from  our  lack  of  faith  in  God.  We  forget  that  this  is  His 
work,  and  not  ours.  We  forget  that  He  is  the  chief  partner  in 
the  concern  and  that  He  is  pledged  to  see  the  enterprise 
through,  and  that  He  will  do  so  if  only  we  do  our  part.  We 
forget  that  the  treasures  of  the  universe  are  in  His  hands  and 
that  therefore  He  is  abundantly  able  to  finance  the  scheme. 


Five  Loaves  and  Two  Fishes  71 

We  take  stock  of  our  resources  and  we  say  that  what  is  pro- 
posed is  impossible. 

Let  us  think  for  a  moment  of  our  Lord's  relation  to  this  cause 
to-day.  Now  as  then  He  has  compassion  on  the  multitudes. 
He  died  for  every  one  of  them  on  the  cross  and  He  is  not 
willing  that  any  one  of  them  should  perish.  And  when  the 
church  says,  "Send  them  away,"  He  says,  "  They  need  not 
depart ;  you  give  them  to  eat."  That  is  the  chief  end  of  your 
existence.  You  cannot  get  rid  of  your  responsibility.  And 
when  the  church  pleads  poverty  as  an  excuse  for  her  inaction, 
He  says,  "What  have  you?"  And  when  the  church  points 
to  her  little  store.  He  says,  "  Bring  it  to  Me."  If  the  church 
will  do  that  He  will  multiply  it  and  make  it  sufficient.  With 
His  blessing  upon  it  there  will  be  no  lack.  There  will  be 
enough  and  to  spare  for  the  whole  wide  world.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  that  we  place  what  we  have  in  His  hands. 

Two  thoughts  have  been  suggested  to  my  mind  while  study- 
ing the  account  of  this  miracle.  The  first  is  this.  Increase  is 
the  reward  of  fidelity.  It  is  when  we  use  what  we  have  that 
the  Lord  entrusts  us  with  more.  He  does  not  give  us  all  that 
we  need  in  a  lump,  and  in  advance.  If  He  did,  we  might  for- 
get Him  or  fail  to  put  our  trust  in  Him.  He  wants  us  to  con- 
fide in  Him,  and  He  has  assured  us  that  if  we  do  we  shall 
lack  no  good  thing.  He  takes  delight  in  showing  us  what 
great  results  He  can  bring  from  the  very  smallest  beginnings. 
I  do  not  know  of  any  great  cause  where  all  the  funds  needed 
for  its  support  were  in  hand  when  it  began.  Some  soul  was 
faithful  and  did  all  he  could  and  God  raised  up  others  to  help, 
and  sent  the  money  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses. 

That  is  the  way  churches  are  built.  It  seldom  happens  that 
all  the  funds  required  are  in  hand  when  the  building  opera- 
tions are  commenced.  Some  years  ago  a  little  band  of  believ- 
ers met  for  worship  in  an  upper  room.  The  surroundings  were 
most  unfavourable.  This  church  called  a  young  man  of  faith 
and  vision  to  be  their  minister.     He  told  the  church  that  they 


72  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

could  never  build  up  a  strong  congregation  in  such  circumstances. 
He  urged  that  they  buy  a  lot  at  once.  They  said  to  him,  *'  We 
are  only  a  dozen  in  number,  and  we  are  all  working  people.  It 
will  take  two  thousand  dollars  to  buy  a  suitable  lot ;  where  can 
we  get  that  amount  of  money  ?  "  He  said,  *<  I  do  not  know, 
but  I  believe  that,  if  we  do  all  we  are  able,  God  will  come  to  our 
assistance."  Under  such  inspiring  leadership  they  bought  a 
lot.  The  neighbours  said,  **  These  people  are  making  heroic 
sacrifices;  we  must  help  them."  They  did  so  and  before  any 
one  knew  it  all  the  money  needed  was  in  hand.  Then  the 
minister  said,  "Let  us  now  proceed  to  put  up  a  chapel." 
They  said,  *'  It  will  take  five  thousand  dollars  to  erect  a  chapel ; 
where  can  we  get  five  thousand  dollars  ? ' '  He  said  again,  *  *  I  do 
not  know,  but  I  believe  that,  if  we  will  give  all  we  can,  the  Lord 
will  come  to  our  help."  Encouraged  by  his  contagious  faith 
they  began  to  build.  In  course  of  time  the  chapel  was  built 
and  dedicated.  Little  by  little  the  money  was  secured  to 
liquidate  the  indebtedness.  God  rewarded  the  faith  of  that 
man  and  the  band  of  believers  associated  with  him.  Since 
then  a  commodious  and  comfortable  house  of  worship  has  been 
built,  and  the  chapel  is  used  for  Sunday-school  purposes. 
These  people  honoured  God  by  doing  what  they  were  able  to  do, 
and  He  honoured  them  by  putting  it  into  their  power  to  do  far 
more  than  they  were  able  to  do  when  the  good  work  began. 
All  through  those  years  of  struggle  the  church  made  its  mis- 
sionary offerings.  When  the  minister  was  asked  how  this 
worked  out,  he  said,  *'  For  every  dollar  we  sent  out,  God  sent 
us  ten  from  sources  from  which  we  never  expected  a  penny." 

The  great  movement  that  has  been  such  a  blessing  to  young 
men  and  young  women  is  the  outcome  of  the  fidelity  of  a  dry- 
goods  clerk  in  London.  George  Williams  undertook  to  lead 
another  clerk  to  Christ.  By  God's  grace  he  succeeded.  The 
two  sought  the  conversion  of  a  third.  The  Lord  prospered 
their  efforts.  The  three  met  for  prayer  and  for  Bible  study. 
That  was  the  germ  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 


Five  Loaves  and  Two  Fishes  73 

This  organization  has  now  seven  thousand  branches.  It  is  repre- 
sented in  almost  every  city  in  Christendom  and  in  many  cities 
of  the  non-Christian  world.  Millions  of  young  men  have  been 
saved  and  have  been  helped  into  a  larger  life  and  a  nobler  serv- 
ice by  this  institution.  One  young  clerk  was  faithful,  and  God 
was  with  him  and  made  him  one  of  the  foremost  benefactors 
of  the  race.  The  whole  world  enjoys  the  benefits  of  his 
fidelity. 

The  missionary  work  of  modern  times  began  with  a  cobbler. 
William  Carey  was  not  a  university  man.  He  had  neither 
money  nor  social  position.  His  wife  was  partially  insane.  But 
William  Carey  discovered  the  will  of  God  for  himself  and 
for  the  church.  He  pleaded  that  something  might  be 
done.  He  urged  the  church  to  expect  great  things  from 
God  and  to  attempt  great  things  for  God.  He  did  what 
he  could.  He  collected  facts  and  published  them.  He 
spoke  on  the  subject  in  public  and  in  private.  He  volun- 
teered to  go  to  India.  All  he  asked  was  that  his  passage  be 
paid.  He  assured  his  brethren  that,  if  they  would  do  that, 
he  would  support  himself.  God  was  with  him  according  to 
His  own  gracious  promise.  William  Carey  was  called  to  teach 
in  the  government  college  and  paid  a  handsome  salary  by  men 
who  were  opposed  to  the  work  in  which  he  was  engaged.  His 
salary  enabled  him  to  work  on  a  far  larger  scale  than  otherwise. 
His  presentation  of  the  claims  of  the  work  led  Marshman  and 
Ward  and  others  to  join  him  in  the  work.  The  whole  church 
listened  to  his  message  and  the  great  missionary  propaganda  of 
our  day  is  largely  the  result  of  William  Carey's  obedience  to 
the  heavenly  vision. 

Thomas  Campbell  was  an  Irish  immigrant.  He  settled  in 
the  wilds  of  western  Pennsylvania.  He  had  no  money  and  no 
influential  friends.  It  is  doubtful  if  he  ever  had  a  bank  ac- 
count or  as  much  as  one  thousand  dollars  in  his  possession  at 
any  time  in  his  life.  But  Thomas  Campbell  had  something 
better  than  money  and  friends.     He  had  a  great  truth.     He 


74  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

discovered  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  John,  a  discovery  that 
has  been  pronounced  as  great  and  as  fruitful  as  the  discovery 
of  the  New  World  by  Columbus.  In  a  log  cabin  Thomas 
Campbell  elaborated  the  truth  God  revealed  to  him  and  gave 
the  world  that  immortal  document  entitled  "  The  Declaration 
and  Address."  This  truth  found  a  lodgment  in  other  hearts, 
and  they  became  its  joyful  slaves.  While  he  was  reading  the 
proof-sheets  his  gifted  son  arrived  from  Ireland  and  pledged 
his  life  to  the  advocacy  of  the  principles  contained  in  it.  In- 
numerable friends  and  champions  were  raised  up ;  funds  were 
contributed  ;  and  the  world  knows  the  results.  One  of  the 
largest  religious  communions  in  existence  is  the  outcome.  It 
has  been  said  that  there  is  not  a  religious  body  in  Christendom 
that  has  not  been  profoundly  affected  by  this  movement  that 
originated  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  Thomas  Campbell. 

The  second  thought  is  this,  We  are  enriched  and  not  im- 
poverished by  what  we  give  and  do  for  the  Lord's  work.  The 
young  lad  who  had  the  five  barley  cakes  and  the  two  small  fishes 
might  have  said,  "  Charity  begins  at  home,"  and  have  eaten 
them.  No  one  would  have  blamed  him  much.  That  would 
have  satisfied  his  appetite  for  a  time.  But  in  an  hour  or  two 
he  would  have  been  as  empty  and  as  hungry  as  before.  As  it 
was  he  got  a  full  meal ;  ten  thousand  other  people  got  a  full 
meal  each ;  and  there  was  enough  left  over  to  feed  a  regiment. 
Had  there  been  no  sacrifice  there  would  have  been  no  increase. 
So  we  are  told  that  there  is  that  scattereth  and  yet  increaseth, 
and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet  and  it  tendeth 
to  poverty.  In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  we  read,  "  Give,  and 
it  shall  be  given  unto  you;  good  measure,  pressed  down, 
shaken  together,  running  over,  shall  they  give  into  your 
bosom."  Those  who  sow  bountifully  have  the  sure  word  of 
promise  that  they  shall  reap  also  bountifully.  God  takes 
pleasure  in  honouring  those  who  honour  Him.  He  rewards 
those  who  give  of  their  time  or  substance  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Kingdom. 


Five  Loaves  and  Two  Fishes  75 

The  church  with  which  the  writer  is  associated  has  been  en- 
gaged in  missionary  work  for  nearly  sixty  years.  In  that  time 
we  have  expended  between  ten  and  twenty  millions  of  dollars 
in  the  support  of  this  cause.  Are  we  weaker  and  poorer  be- 
cause of  this  vast  outlay  ?  Are  we  not  immensely  richer  and 
stronger  ?  When  we  began  we  were  a  feeble  folk.  We  did 
not  number  over  two  hundred  thousand.  Now  we  number  a 
million  and  three  hundred  thousand.  We  have  grown  in  num- 
bers and  in  wealth.  We  have  gained  in  every  respect.  We 
have  given  to  the  Lord's  work  and  He  has  given  back  to  us. 
Had  we  not  given  we  would  have  been  scattered  and  destroyed. 
Our  very  name  would  have  perished  from  the  earth.  Our 
missionary  work  has  been  our  salvation. 

One  of  our  churches  decided  to  build  a  parsonage  for  its 
minister.  A  desirable  lot  was  selected.  A  committee  called 
on  the  owner  of  the  lot  and  offered  him  a  fair  price  for  it. 
The  owner  was  not  a  Christian.  He  was  rich  and  did  not  wish 
to  sell.  It  appears  that  he  did  not  learn  from  the  committee 
what  they  wanted  the  lot  for.  Some  days  later  he  sent  for  the 
committee  and  asked  what  they  proposed  to  build  on  this  lot. 
They  told  him  that  they  wanted  to  build  a  parsonage.  He 
said,  '<That  puts  a  different  face  on  the  matter."  After  a 
moment's  reflection  he  said,  '*  You  offered  me  as  much  for  the 
lot  as  it  is  worth  and  I  refused  your  offer.  I  will  tell  you  what 
I  will  do ;  I  will  give  you  the  lot."  He  had  a  deed  made  out 
and  presented  it  to  them.  The  secret  of  that  man's  action  was 
this.  That  is  a  great  church.  It  is  neither  large  nor  rich ;  but 
it  does  great  things.  It  supports  a  missionary  on  the  foreign 
field.  It  gives  on  a  large  scale  for  the  work  in  America.  The 
banker  knew  that,  and  God  put  it  into  his  heart  to  help  that 
people.  God  rewards  work  well  done  by  giving  us  more  work 
to  do  and  by  giving  us  the  ability  to  do  it.  That  evening  in 
the  desert  the  company  gave  all  they  had,  and  our  Lord  blessed 
it  and  increased  it  and  made  it  ample  for  the  needs  of  all. 

God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  towards  us,  that  we 


76  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

always  having  all  sufficiency  in  all  things,  may  abound  unto 
every  good  work.  His  desire  for  us  is  that  we  understand  His 
program  and  avail  ourselves  of  all  the  infinite  treasures  that  are 
in  Him.  Years  ago,  so  the  story  runs,  it  was  proposed  to  tap 
one  of  the  mountain  lakes  in  Scotland,  to  supply  the  city  of 
Stirling  with  water.  The  people  living  near  the  lake  objected 
and  fought  the  proposal  in  the  courts.  They  feared  that  tap- 
ping the  lake  would  so  exhaust  its  waters  that  their  property 
would  be  of  no  value.  In  spite  of  their  objection  the  pipes 
were  laid  and  Stirling  was  supplied  with  water.  For  a  few 
days  the  water  in  the  lake  fell  a  few  inches ;  then  it  rose  and 
stood  at  a  somewhat  higher  level  than  before.  The  engineers 
discovered  that  in  tapping  the  lake  they  had  opened  some  in- 
exhaustible fountains  in  the  hills.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  after 
supplying  the  city  they  had  more  water  than  ever.  That  is  the 
way  God  works.  Giving  does  not  impoverish  Him ;  withhold- 
ing does  not  enrich  Him.  He  delights  to  show  His  people 
what  He  can  do  and  what  He  will  do  if  only  they  will  act  in 
all  good  fidelity. 

"  Make  channels  for  the  streams  of  love, 
"Where  they  may  broadly  run ; 
And  love  has  overflowing  streams 
To  fill  them  every  one. 

"  For  we  must  share  if  we  would  keep 
That  good  gift  from  above ; 
Ceasing  to  share  we  cease  to  have 
Such  is  the  law  of  love." 


VII 

THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN 
Luke  io:  25-37 

THE  lawyer  mentioned  in  this  passage  wished  to  test 
the  ability  and  the  orthodoxy  of  our  Lord.  There 
is  no  evidence  of  malicious  intention ;  he  was  not 
seeking,  as  some  critics  and  enemies  did,  to  entangle  Him  in 
His  talk.  He  had  heard  of  His  fame  as  a  teacher  in  Galilee, 
and  he  wished  to  put  Him  to  the  proof.  It  may  be  that  he 
wished  to  air  his  own  knowledge  also  and  to  show  his  skill  in 
debate,  and  for  this  reason  undertook  to  fence  with  Jesus.  He 
proposed  the  question  of  all  questions,  "  Doing  what  good  thing 
shall  I  inherit  eternal  life  ?  "  Had  he  been  seeking  informa- 
tion our  Lord  would  have  given  him  a  direct  answer.  But 
reading  his  heart  and  purpose  He  answered  one  question  with 
another.  This  man  was  a  student  and  expounder  of  the 
Mosaic  Law.  Our  Lord's  question  was  this,  "In  the  law, 
what  is  written  ?  How  readest  thou  ?  "  The  lawyer  promptly 
quoted  two  passages,  which  are  an  admirable  summary  of  all 
that  Moses  taught.  <*Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  andwith  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and 
with  all  thy  mind;  and  thy  neighbour  as  thyself."  Our  Lord 
said,  "  Thou  hast  answered  right ;  this  do,  and  thou  shalt  live." 
The  comment  implied  that,  though  the  lawyer  was  a  professional 
teacher  of  the  law,  he  had  not  lived  according  to  the  law. 
The  lawyer's  conscience  was  touched.  He  felt  that  he  was  on 
the  defensive.  He  stood  up  to  test  our  Lord ;  he  now  rec- 
ognized that  he  was  being  weighed  in  the  balances  and  was 
found  wanting.     The  record  states  that  he,  desiring  to  justify 

77 


jS  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

himself,  or  to  set  himself  right,  said  unto  Jesus,  '<  And  who  is 
my  neighbour  ?  "  There  was  no  thought  that  he  was  lacking  in 
his  duty  towards  God.  Doubtless  he  paid  tithes  of  all  that  he 
possessed.  He  kept  the  fasts  and  the  feasts  prescribed  by 
Moses.  He  prayed  much.  The  only  question  was  as  to  his 
neighbour.  To  the  Jewish  mind,  we  are  told,  that  neighbour 
was  Jew  writ  large.  The  lawyer  wished  a  statement  from  the 
Prophet  of  Galilee  on  this  subject.  Who  had  claims  upon 
him?  Trench  says  the  question  shows  how  little  the  man 
knew  of  that  love  whose  essence  is  that  it  owns  no  limit  ex- 
cept its  own  ability  to  proceed  farther  and  to  do  more.  What 
the  lawyer  needed  was  that  his  eye  should  be  taken  from 
those  to  whom  love  should  be  shown  and  turned  in  upon  him 
who  should  show  this  love.  It  was  the  purpose  of  the  parable 
that  follows  to  do  this. 

In  response  to  the  question,  "And  who  is  my  neighbour?'* 
our  Lord  said,  *' A  certain  man  went  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho."  He  did  not  say  whether  the  man  was  rich  or  poor, 
learned  or  ignorant.  The  natural  inference  is  that  the  man 
was  a  Jew,  though  even  that  is  not  stated.  The  only  thing 
said  is  that  he  was  a  man.  He  was  a  human  being,  and  as 
such  had  claims  upon  other  members  of  the  race.  This  man 
fell  among  robbers,  who  both  stripped  him,  and  beat  him,  and 
departed,  leaving  him  half  dead.  The  road  was  through  a 
desolate  and  rocky  region.  The  sharp  turns  and  the  project- 
ing rocks  enabled  the  robbers  to  take  a  traveller  by  surprise, 
and  to  get  away  with  their  plunder  and  escape  capture  and 
punishment.  The  road  was  called  the  "Bloody  Way"  be- 
cause of  the  deeds  of  blood  done  in  it.  To  this  day  no  one 
goes  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  without  an  armed  Turkish 
escort.  The  robbers  were  not  satisfied  with  relieving  their  vic- 
tim of  his  purse ;  they  took  his  clothing  also.  And  because  he 
resisted,  or  out  of  sheer  cruelty,  they  beat  him  and  left  him  half 
dead. 

"And  by  chance  a  certain  priest  was  going  down  that  way." 


The  Good  Samaritan  79 

Jericho  had  many  priests  living  within  its  walls.  When  the 
time  came  for  them  to  minister  in  the  temple  they  went  up  to 
Jerusalem.  When  they  finished  their  course  they  returned  to 
their  homes.  On  seeing  the  wounded  man  this  priest  passed 
by  on  the  other  side.  He  did  not  stop  to  inquire  if  he  could 
render  any  assistance.  He  did  not  even  hesitate,  but  kept  right 
on  in  his  journey.  However  unfriendly  the  Jews  were  to  the 
rest  of  the  world,  they  were  usually  ready  to  pity  and  to  help 
members  of  their  own  race.  The  priest  was  obliged  by  his 
profession  to  show  compassion.  This  redeeming  grace  is 
wanting  here.  The  law  went  farther  and  said,  "  Thou  shalt 
not  see  thy  brother's  ass  or  his  ox  fall  down  by  the  way,  and 
hide  thyself  from  them  ;  thou  shalt  surely  help  him  to  lift  them 
up  again."  Here  it  was  not  an  ass  or  an  ox,  but  a  brother 
Jew  that  needed  instant  help,  for  his  life  was  fast  ebbing  away. 
This  particular  priest  may  have  been  very  diligent  and  faithful 
to  his  duties  in  the  temple,  but  he  did  not  illustrate  in  his 
practice  those  great  words,  ^*  I  will  have  mercy,  and  not  sacri- 
fice." He  may  and  very  likely  did  tithe  mint  and  cummin 
and  anise  and  fast  twice  a  week,  but  he  omitted  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  judgment  and  mercy  and  faith. 

The  priest  was  able  to  excuse  his  heartless  conduct  to  him- 
self. The  robbers  might  be  near  at  hand  and  ready  to  pounce 
upon  him  if  he  should  stay  to  assist  the  dying  man.  They 
might  strip  and  beat  him  and  depart,  leaving  him  half  or 
wholly  dead.  There  was  danger  in  stopping.  The  law  of 
self-preservation  led  him  to  continue  his  course  with  all  possible 
speed  and  without  regard  to  the  condition  of  his  countryman 
and  coreligionist.  Besides,  the  sufferer  was  possibly  beyond 
the  reach  of  all  human  aid.  Not  only  so,  but  he  could  do 
nothing  for  him  without  considerable  trouble  and  expense  and 
loss  of  time.  He  could  not  help  without  getting  his  priestly 
robes  soiled.  If  the  man  should  die  on  his  hands  he  would  be 
polluted.  Moreover,  he  had  been  away  from  home  for  some 
considerable  time,  and  his  family  would  be  expecting  him  for 


8o  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

dinner,  and  it  would  not  do  to  disappoint  them.  Furthermore, 
the  Levite  was  behind,  and  it  was  more  fitting  that  a  Levite 
should  undertake  a  task  of  relief  than  a  priest.  Whatever 
excuses  occurred  to  his  mind,  the  fact  is,  he  passed  by  on  the 
other  side.  One  glance  at  the  man  in  distress  and  need  was 
enough. 

*' And  in  like  manner  a  Levite  also,  when  he  came  to  the 
place,  and  saw  him,  passed  by  on  the  other  side."  It  would 
seem  that  the  conduct  of  the  Levite  was  less  excusable  than  that 
of  the  priest.  He  came  to  the  place  where  the  man  was  lying. 
He  saw  the  wounded  man  as  the  priest  did  not.  One  who 
comes  face  to  face  with  trouble  or  sorrow  feels  as  no  one  else 
can.  There  is  something  in  nearness  that  appeals  to  the  human 
heart  and  calls  out  its  sympathies.  The  Levite  came  closer 
than  the  priest ;  the  appeal  to  his  compassion  was  stronger  on 
this  account.  If  the  Levite  felt  disposed  to  help,  he  strangled 
his  kindly  feelings  and  generous  impulses,  and  passed  by  on  the 
other  side.  He  could  have  made  the  same  excuses  the  priest 
made.  He  could  urge  the  peril  and  trouble  and  expense  and 
inconvenience  involved  in  stopping  to  lend  a  helping  hand. 
Besides,  he  may  have  thought  that  it  would  be  manifestly 
improper  for  him  to  do  what  the  priest  neglected.  If  it  had 
been  a  duty  to  assist  this  man  in  the  circumstances,  the  priest 
would  have  done  it.  If  he  should  stop  and  help,  his  act  might 
be  considered  an  affront  to  his  superior  and  an  implied  con- 
demnation of  his  course.  To  the  Levite's  mind  there  was  only 
one  thing  to  do,  that  was,  to  get  away  as  fast  as  he  could. 

"  And  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he 
was,  and  when  he  saw  him  he  was  moved  with  compassion, 
and  came  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and 
wine ;  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an 
inn,  and  took  care  of  him."  The  Samaritan  was  exposed  to 
the  same  dangers  as  the  priest  and  Levite.  That  made  no 
difference.  In  the  presence  of  distress  he  did  not  think  of 
himself;  he  did  not  take  counsel  of  his  fears  or  comfort  or 


The  Good  Samaritan  Pi 

convenience.  He  did  not  recall  the  fact  that  the  wounded  man 
was  not  a  Samaritan  but  a  Jew,  and  that  as  a  Samaritan  he 
was  bound  to  hate  him  and  to  have  no  deaUngs  with  him.  To 
the  Jew  the  Samaritan  was  of  an  alien  and  hostile  race.  In 
religion  he  was  a  heretic.  He  worshipped  on  Mount  Gerizim, 
and  not  on  Mount  Zion.  The  Jew  cursed  him  publicly  in  the 
temple  and  prayed  that  he  might  have  no  part  in  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  refused  to  admit  him  as  a  proselyte.  He  would  not 
accept  his  testimony  in  court.  To  eat  a  morsel  of  his  bread 
was  to  eat  the  flesh  of  swine.  To  receive  any  favour  from  a 
Samaritan  was  to  entail  a  curse  upon  his  own  children.  It  is 
natural  to  repay  hate  with  hate,  and  insult  with  insult,  and 
injury  with  injury.  The  Samaritan  as  a  rule  was  not  behind 
the  Jew  in  cursing  and  in  demonstrations  of  enmity  and  ill-will. 
He  repaid  the  treatment  he  received  in  kind  and  with  interest. 
It  was  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  and  a  life  for  a 
life.  This  man  could  have  left  the  wounded  Jew  in  his  blood 
without  any  scruples  of  conscience.  His  countrymen  would 
have  commended  him  for  it. 

There  is  nothing  to  show  that  it  ever  occurred  to  the  Samar- 
itan that  the  victim  of  the  robbers  was  a  Jew.  **  He  was  a 
man ;  that  was  enough ;  he  was  down,  and  must  be  raised  ; 
he  was  in  need,  and  must  be  helped."  For  when  he  saw  him 
he  had  compassion.  His  heart  was  stirred  with  a  great  pity. 
He  went  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  taking  some  of  his 
own  garments  for  the  purpose.  He  poured  in  wine  to  cleanse 
and  oil  to  heal.  Having  done  this  he  set  the  man  on  his  own 
beast,  and  walked  himself.  He  brought  his  patient  to  an  inn 
and  took  care  of  him.  Having  saved  his  life  and  having 
brought  him  to  the  attention  of  one  of  his  own  race,  he  might 
have  thought  he  had  done  enough.  But  having  done  so  much 
he  felt  constrained  to  do  more.  He  not  only  took  care  of  him 
during  the  night,  but  before  leaving  next  morning  he  paid  for 
his  entertainment,  and  told  the  keeper  of  the  inn  to  take  care 
of  him,  and  assured  him  that  on  his  return  he  would  pay  him 


82  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

for  his  services.  The  man  had  been  robbed  and  had  nothing 
to  pay.  The  Samaritan  provided  for  his  present  and  future 
needs. 

Our  Lord  asks  the  question,  "  Which  one  of  these  three, 
thinkest  thou,  was  neighbour  unto  him  that  fell  among  rob- 
bers?" He  reverses  the  lawyer's  question.  The  lawyer 
asked,  *•'  Who  is  my  neighbour?  To  whom  is  it  my  duty  to 
show  love  ?  Point  him  out ;  tell  me  by  what  marks  I  shall 
know  him  to  be  such."  He  thought  his  neighbour  was  the 
man  that  lived  near  him,  the  man  of  the  same  blood  and  the 
same  faith.  Our  Lord  puts  it  this  way,  "  Who  is  a  neighbour? 
It  is  he  who  shows  love,  and  not  the  one  that  does  not  show 
it."  In  His  thought  love  is  like  the  sun  that  shines  on  the  evil 
and  on  the  good,  and  like  the  rain  that  falls  on  the  just  and  on 
the  unjust.  The  Samaritan  showed  love  to  one  whose  need 
was  his  only  claim.  The  wounded  man  had  none  of  the  marks 
of  a  neighbour  in  the  lawyer's  sense  of  the  word.  The  lawyer 
asked,  "  Who  is  my  neighbour  ?  "  Here  is  a  man  who  asked, 
**  To  whom  can  I  be  a  neighbour  ?  "  To  the  Saviour's  ques- 
tion, '*  Which  one  of  these  showed  himself  a  neighbour?" 
there  was  only  one  answer  possible.  The  lawyer  gave  that 
answer,  '*  I  suppose  he  that  showed  mercy  on  him."  Even  now 
he  will  not  speak  the  hated  word  *'  Samaritan."  The  applica- 
tion is,  "  Go,  and  do  thou  likewise."  The  learned  expounder 
of  the  law  is  made  to  see  what  a  mighty  gulf  there  was  between 
his  teaching  and  his  practice.  He  had  been  teaching  the 
people  that  they  were  to  love  their  neighbours  as  themselves. 
But  to  his  thought  only  the  members  of  the  Hebrew  race  and 
commonwealth  were  their  neighbours.  For  the  first  time  in  his 
life  he  learns  the  true  meaning  of  the  word.  Any  man,  irre- 
spective of  race  or  creed  with  whom  we  live  or  chance  to  meet, 
is  a  neighbour.  The  world  is  a  community ;  the  race  is  a 
family.  All  mankind  are  neighbours  and  are  bound  by  the 
law  of  Christ  to  show  themselves  such.  "  Help  and  need  are 
neighbours." 


The  Good  Samaritan  83 

The  parable  teaches  a  lesson  of  humanity.  In  Christ's  time 
people  seldom  thought  of  man  as  man.  They  loved  their 
neighbours,  those  who  were  of  the  same  race  and  nation  and 
moved  in  the  same  social  circles  and  held  the  same  faith,  and 
hated  all  else.  Max  Muller  said  that  to  the  Greek  every  man 
not  speaking  Greek  was  a  barbarian ;  to  the  Jew  every  man  not 
circumcised  was  a  Gentile ;  to  the  Mohammedan  every  man 
not  believing  in  the  prophet  of  Arabia  was  an  infidel.  "It 
was  Christianity  that  struck  the  word  barbarian  from  the 
dictionaries  of  mankind  and  replaced  it  with  the  word 
brother. ' '  Under  the  influence  of  the  teaching  and  spirit  of 
Christ  we  are  coming  to  see  that  all  men  everywhere  are  neigh- 
bours, and  that  it  is  open  to  us  to  do  something  to  help  the 
wounded  pilgrim  on  life's  highway.  Robert  Burns  sang  of  the 
time  when  men  to  men  the  world  o'er  will  brothers  be ;  that  a 
man's  a  man  for  a'  that.     Browning  says, 

"  For  I,  a  man,  with  men  am  linked, 
And  not  a  brute  with  brutes ;  no  gain 
That  I  experience,  must  remain 
Unshared." 

Longfellow  spoke  of  his  feelings  at  a  banquet  when  so  many 
were  in  the  outer  darkness  and  in  the  direst  need.  He  spoke 
of  the  poverty-stricken  millions  who  challenge  our  wine  and 
bread ;  and  impeach  us  all  as  traitors,  the  living  and  the  dead. 

"  And  whenever  I  sit  at  the  banquet 

Where  the  feast  and  the  song  are  high, 
Amid  the  mirth  and  the  music 
I  can  hear  that  awful  cry. 

"  And  hollow  and  haggard  eyes 
Look  into  the  lighted  hall ; 
And  wasted  hands  are  extended 
To  catch  the  crumbs  that  fall. 


84  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

"  For  within  there  was  light  and  plenty, 
And  odours  filled  the  air ; 
,  And  without  there  was  cold  and  darkness 

And  hunger  and  despair." 

The  man  in  need  anywhere  on  the  planet,  in  China,  in  Japan^ 
in  India,  in  Africa,  in  the  South  Seas,  is  a  man  made  in  God's 
image,  and  is  one  to  whom  we  can  act  a  neighbourly  part.  If 
one  should  shut  his  compassion  against  suffering  humanity  in 
any  part  of  the  world,  how  can  he  claim  that  the  love  of  God 
dwells  in  him? 

Who  is  my  neighbour  ?  The  man  that  lives  next  door  ?  Yes. 
The  man  that  lives  within  the  same  national  boundaries  ?  Yes. 
But  not  these  alone.  Every  soul  alive  in  need  is  a  neighbour, 
and  we  can  be  neighbours  to  him  if  we  will.  It  is  right  to  love 
those  who  love  us,  and  to  salute  those  who  salute  us,  and  to  do 
good  to  those  who  do  good  to  us  ;  but  if  we  do  no  more  than 
that,  what  reward  can  we  expect  ?  For  sinners  and  publicans 
do  that  much.  As  Christian  we  are  to  love  one  another,  even 
as  Christ  loved  us.  This  is  His  new  commandment.  '*  By 
this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  My  disciples,  if  ye  have  love 
one  to  another."  John  says,  ''Beloved,  let  us  love  one 
another,  for  love  is  of  God  ;  and  every  one  that  loveth  is  be- 
gotten of  God,  and  knoweth  God.  He  that  loveth  not, 
knoweth  not  God  ;  for  God  is  love. ' '  But  our  love  is  not  to 
be  confined  to  those  who  have  been  washed  and  sanctified  and 
justified  by  the  Lord  Jesus  and  by  the  Spirit  of  our  God. 
Jesus  Christ  tasted  death  for  every  man.  He  gave  Himself  a 
ransom  for  all.  Those  peoples  that  we  speak  of  as  strangers 
and  foreigners  and  pagans  are  peoples  for  whom  He  died  on  the 
cross  as  much  as  for  us.  They  are  children  of  the  same 
Father.  They  are  not  strange  or  foreign  to  Him.  He  is 
interested  in  them  and  concerned  about  their  welfare  no  less 
than  He  is  about  us  and  our  welfare.  He  is  not  willing  that 
any  one  of  them  should  perish.  Because  of  their  degradation 
and  need  He  asks  us  to  exert  ourselves  on  their  behalf,  and  to 


The  Good  Samaritan  85 

do  what  is  in  our  power  to  give  them  a  saving  knowledge  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  If  we  are  disposed  to  act  the  part 
of  a  neighbour  we  will  do  this. 

Two-thirds  of  the  race  are  in  a  worse  condition  than  the 
wounded  man  on  the  road  between  Jerusalem  and  Jericho. 
They  are  living  and  dying  without  hope  and  without  God. 
The  faiths  in  which  they  were  born  can  afford  them  no  relief. 
Their  priests  can  do  nothing  for  them.  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
way,  the  truth,  the  life  ;  and  no  one  can  come  to  the  Father  ex- 
cept by  Him.  It  is  for  us  to  make  Christ  known.  If  we  would 
walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Samaritan  we  will  dismiss  our  prej- 
udices ;  we  will  run  risks;  we  will  sacrifice  our  ease  and 
comfort ;  we  will  give  of  our  means,  and  do  all  in  our  power 
that  these  peoples  may  be  evangelized.  God  has  wondrously 
blessed  and  prospered  the  church.  He  has  put  it  into  the 
power  of  the  church  to  carry  the  gospel  to  all  mankind  in  a 
generation.  Samuel  J.  Mills  said,  "  We  can  do  it  if  we  will." 
It  is  for  the  church  to  say,  '*  We  can  do  it,  and  we  will."  What 
shall  our  course  be  ?  Shall  we  act  like  the  priest  and  Levite 
and  pass  by  on  the  other  side  ?  Or  will  we  take  pains  and 
suffer  inconvenience  and  do  our  duty?  We  cannot  say, 
"  Charity  begins  at  home,"  and  refuse  to  help  Christ  seek  and 
save  the  lost  without  denying  His  name. 

The  parable  applies  to  us  as  well  as  to  the  lawyer.  If  we 
condemn  the  priest  and  Levite,  we  must  avoid  their  course. 
Otherwise  we  will  condemn  ourselves.  If  we  admire  the 
Samaritan,  we  must  follow  his  example  and  show  helpful  love 
to  every  soul  in  need  without  regard  to  race  or  rank  or  religion. 
We  must  recognize  no  limits  to  our  love  except  those  of  oppor- 
tunity and  ability.  In  the  Samaritan  we  see  the  attentive  look, 
the  compassionate  heart,  the  helpful  hand,  the  willing  feet,  the 
open  purse.  As  we  think  of  the  missionary  significance  of  the 
parable  we  will  recognize  the  need  of  giving  attention  to  the 
Christless  nations.  We  need  to  look  into  their  condition.  We 
need  to  know  that  there  is  nothing  in  their  religions  to  re- 


86  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

generate  them.  An  honest  investigation  is  the  first  essential. 
Then  we  need  a  compassionate  heart.  As  we  study  these 
peoples  and  their  needs,  we  will  be  inclined  to  sympathize  with 
them.  They  are  human  beings  like  ourselves.  They  are  bone 
of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh.  They  are  men  and  women 
and  children  as  we  are.  They  have  the  same  natures  and  the 
same  capacities  for  joy  and  sorrow  that  we  have.  We  need 
furthermore  the  helping  hand.  There  is  much  to  be  done. 
Literature  has  to  be  created.  Schools  and  churches  and 
hospitals  and  homes  have  to  be  erected.  We  see  the  need  of  will- 
ing feet.  We  must  walk  that  these  may  ride.  We  must  do  with- 
out comforts  and  conveniences  that  we  may  give  the  gospel  to 
those  who  are  living  in  ignorance  and  sin.  The  purse  must 
be  opened.  God  has  committed  much  to  us  for  this  very 
purpose.  What  we  have  in  our  hands  we  hold  in  trust  for  those 
who  are  in  need. 

The  missionary  is  the  Samaritan  of  our  day.  He  does  every- 
thing the  Samaritan  did.  He  runs  grave  risks.  He  faces 
perils  on  sea  and  land.  He  submits  to  discomfort  and  trouble 
and  expense.  He  walks  that  those  to  whom  he  ministers  may 
ride  to  the  inn  where  he  will  care  for  them.  He  gives  his  life 
and  his  money  and  his  all  for  the  redemption  of  mankind.  It 
is  not  enough  that  the  missionary  does  this ;  what  is  needed  is 
that  the  whole  church  be  enlisted.  The  church  must  look  at 
the  nations  in  need,  and  must  have  compassion,  and  take  pains, 
and  get  down  and  walk,  and  give  time  and  thought  and  money, 
that  they  may  see  to  whom  no  tidings  of  Him  came,  and  that 
those  who  have  not  heard  may  understand.  When  the  whole 
church  acts  the  part  of  the  man  she  has  named  the  Good 
Samaritan  and  whose  name  she  has  sent  down  the  ages  like  a 
grand  sweet  song,  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  will  be  speedily 
and  fully  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  testimony  to  all  the 
nations. 

Many  devout  souls  have  found  comfort  in  the  thought  that 
Christ  Himself  is  the  Good  Samaritan.     Though  He  was  in  the 


The  Good  Samaritan  87 

form  of  God,  He  emptied  Himself,  and  took  the  form  of  a 
servant.  He  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister, 
and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many.  He  stooped  to  lift  us 
up  from  our  fallen  and  lost  condition.  He  was  rich,  and  yet 
for  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  we  through  His  poverty 
might  become  rich.  He  applied  to  Himself  the  words  spoken 
by  the  prophet,  '<The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because 
He  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings  to  the  poor  :  He  hath 
sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to 
proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  He  proposes  to 
supply  every  need  of  ours  according  to  His  own  riches  in  glory. 
In  His  healing  and  helpful  ministry  He  left  us  an  example,  that 
we  should  walk  in  His  steps. 


VIII 

THE   GREAT  COMMISSION  ACCORDING  TO  LUKE 

And  He  said  unto  them.  These  are  My  words  which  I  spake  unto  you, 
while  I  was  yet  with  you,  that  all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled, 
which  are  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and 
the  Psalms,  concerning  Me,  Then  opened  He  their  mind,  that 
they  might  understand  the  scriptures ;  and  He  said  unto  them. 
Thus  it  is  written  that  the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  rise  again 
from  the  dead  the  third  day  ;  and  that  repentance  and  remission 
of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His  name  unto  all  the  nations,  be- 
ginning from  Jerusalem.  Ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things^ 
And  behold,  I  send  forth  the  promise  of  My  Father  upon  you  ; 
but  tarry  ye  in  the  city,  until  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from  on 
high. — Luke  24:  44-49. 

IN  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  the  words  that  He 
had  spoken  to  His  discij)les,  while  He  was  yet  with  them, 
were  realized.  At  Csesarea  Philippi  Peter  confessed  for 
himself  and  his  associates  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God.  That  was  the  great  truth  our  Lord  sought 
to  reveal  to  them  in  the  first  part  of  His  ministry.  As  soon  as 
they  grasped  it  He  began  to  teach  them  another.  That  incident 
at  Caesarea  Philippi  marked  an  epoch  in  the  training  of  the 
Twelve.  "  From  that  time,"  we  are  told,  "  began  Jesus  to  show 
unto  His  disciples,  that  He  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer 
many  things  of  the  elders  and  chief  priests  and  scribes,  and  be 
killed  and  the  third  day  be  raised  up."  Peter  objected  to  the 
thought  of  a  suffering  Messiah.  His  protest  voiced  the  feelings 
of  the  nation.  They  wanted  a  triumphant  Messiah,  one  who 
would  ride  prosperously  and  gloriously  and  rejoicingly.     It  was 

88 


Great  Commission  According  to  Luke      89 

this  protest  that  called  forth  the  stern  rebuke,  "  Get  thee  be- 
hind Me,  Satan,  thou  art  a  stumbling-block  unto  Me  :  for  thou 
mindest  not  the  things  of  God,  but  the  things  of  men."  We 
are  told  later  that  while  they  abode  in  Galilee  Jesus  said  to 
them,  "  The  Son  of  man  shall  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
men ;  and  they  shall  kill  Him ;  and  the  third  day  He  shall  be 
raised  up."  Later  still  as  they  were  in  the  way  to  Jerusalem 
He  took  the  twelve  disciples  apart,  and  said  to  them,  *'  Behold, 
we  go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  and  the  Son  of  Man  shall  be  delivered 
unto  the  chief  priests  and  scribes ;  and  they  shall  condemn 
Him  to  death,  and  shall  deliver  Him  unto  the  Gentiles  to 
mock,  and  to  scourge,  and  to  crucify ;  and  the  third  day  He 
shall  be  raised  up."  On  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  when 
Moses  and  Elijah  appeared  to  Him,  the  topic  of  conversation 
was  the  decease  that  He  should  accomplish  at  Jerusalem.  It 
would  seem  that  from  the  time  of  Peter's  confession  of  Him  as 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  these  events  formed  the 
substance  of  most  of  his  teaching.  He  was  endeavouring  to  pre- 
pare them  for  what  was  in  store  for  himself  and  for  them,  so 
that  being  forewarned  they  might  be  forearmed. 

Not  only  so,  but  in  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  all 
things  which  were  written  concerning  Him  in  the  law  of  Moses, 
and  in  the  prophets  and  the  psalms,  were  fulfilled.  From  the 
time  when  the  first  promise  of  a  Redeemer  was  given  in  Eden 
till  the  angel  announced  the  wondrous  birth  in  Bethlehem  there 
were  those  who  looked  forward  to  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and 
the  glory  that  should  follow.  Christ  the  incarnate  Son  of  God, 
crucified,  risen  and  glorified,  is  the  essence  of  all  Scripture. 
He  is  set  forth  as  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world.  Every  animal  offered  in  sacrifice  was  a  mute  prophecy  of 
the  one  offering  by  which  He  should  perfect  forever  them  that  are 
sanctified.  Every  goat  on  whose  head  the  sins  of  the  people 
were  laid  before  being  led  out  into  the  wilderness  was  a  type 
of  Him  upon  whom  our  sins  were  laid  and  who  suffered  without 
the  camp.     The  entire  sacrificial  system  of  the  temple  derived 


go  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

its  significance  from  the  Christ  who  should  come  and  by  the 
sacrifice  of  Himself  become  the  author  of  eternal  redemption 
to  as  many  as  should  believe  on  His  name.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment has  little  meaning  and  little  value  except  as  it  tells  of 
Him  who  was  to  satisfy  the  hopes  and  desires  and  aspirations 
of  all  nations. 

The  disciples  were  sad  when  they  thought  of  the  death  of 
their  Lord  and  of  His  burial.  One  of  the  two  on  the  way  to 
Emmaus  spoke  of  Jesus  the  Nazarene,  who  was  a  prophet 
mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God  and  all  the  people ;  and 
how  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  delivered  Him  up  to  be  con- 
demned to  death,  and  crucified  Him.  <'But  we  hoped  that  it 
was  He  that  should  redeem  Israel.  Yea  and  besides  all  this, 
it  is  now  the  third  day  since  these  things  came  to  pass.  More- 
over, certain  women  of  our  company  amazed  us,  having  been 
early  at  the  tomb ;  and  when  they  found  not  His  body,  they 
came,  saying,  that  they  had  also  seen  a  vision  of  angels,  who 
said  that  He  was  alive."  The  crucifixion  crushed  their  hearts ; 
the  story  of  the  resurrection  was  too  good  to  be  true.  Our 
Lord  told  them  that  what  had  taken  place  was  in  fulfillment  of 
what  had  been  foretold  in  their  own  Scriptures  and  what  He 
had  said  to  them.  He  said  to  these  two,  "  O  foolish  men^  and 
slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have  spoken ! 
Behoved  it  not  that  the  Christ  should  suffer  these  things,  and 
to  enter  into  His  glory?  "  And  beginning  from  Moses  and  all 
the  prophets.  He  interpreted  to  them  in  all  the  Scriptures  the 
things  concerning  Himself.  To  a  larger  company  the  same 
evening,  referring  to  what  had  taken  place.  He  said,  "These 
are  My  words  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you,  while  I  was  yet 
with  you,  that  all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled,  which  are 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the  prophets,  and  the  psalms 
concerning  Me."  The  disciples  were  expecting  to  see  Him 
slay  the  wicked  with  the  rod  of  His  mouth,  and  restore  the 
kingdom  to  Israel.  They  were  astonished  beyond  measure  and 
distressed  when  they  saw  Him  put  to  death.     All  their  most 


Great  Commission  According  to  Luke      91 

fondly-cherished  hopes  were  cut  off  like  a  spider's  web.  He 
sought  to  comfort  them  by  showing  that  in  the  events  they 
were  lamenting  God's  gracious  purpose  was  being  fulfilled. 

Then  opened  He  their  mind  that  they  might  apprehend  the 
true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures. 
John  says  He  breathed  on  them  and  said  to  them,  ^'Receive 
ye  the  Holy  Spirit."  Both  writers  refer  to  the  same  event. 
Luke  spoke  of  the  effect  of  their  illumination ;  John  spoke  of 
its  efficient  cause.  Having  opened  their  minds  that  they  might 
understand  the  Scriptures  He  said,  "  Thus  it  is  written,  that 
the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third 
day;  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  His  name  unto  all  the  nations."  This  is  the  gist 
of  the  Old  Testament  as  interpreted  by  our  Lord. 

In  His  summary  of  the  law  and  the  prophecies  and  the  psalms 
there  are  three  things  :  The  death  of  Christ,  the  resurrection 
of  Christ,  and  missions.  His  sufferings  and  death  were  fore- 
told. He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions;  He  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed.  He  was  cut 
off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living  for  the  transgression  of  my 
people  to  whom  the  stroke  was  due.  And  they  made  His 
grave  with  the  wicked,  and  with  the  rich  man  in  his  death. 
He  poured  out  His  soul  unto  death,  and  was  numbered  with 
the  transgressors.  But  His  soul  was  not  left  in  Sheol;  His 
flesh  did  not  see  corruption.  The  gospel  is  grounded  on  these 
two  historical  facts :  the  death  and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
the  Christ.  These  facts  formed  the  substance  of  all  apostolic 
preaching.  On  Pentecost  Peter  stated  that  Christ  was  crucified 
and  slain  by  lawless  men.  He  adds  that  God  raised  Him  up, 
having  loosed  the  pangs  of  death  :  because  it  was  not  possible 
that  He  should  be  holden  of  it.  Referring  to  the  patriarch 
David,  He  said,  "Being  therefore  a  prophet,  and  knowing  that 
God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to  him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his 
loins  He  would  set  one  upon  the  throne ;  He  foreseeing  this 


gi  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

spoke  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that  neither  was  He  left  in 
Hades,  nor  did  His  flesh  see  corruption.  This  Jesus  did  God 
raise  up,  whereof  we  are  witnesses. ' '  In  his  next  sermon  Peter 
said  to  his  hearers,  *'But  ye  despised  the  Holy  and  Righteous 
One,  and  asked  that  a  murderer  be  granted  unto  you,  and 
killed  the  Prince  of  life ;  whom  God  raised  from  the  dead ; 
whereof  we  are  witnesses."  A  little  later  he  said,  **The  God 
of  our  fathers  raised  up  Jesus  whom  ye  slew,  hanging  Him  on 
a  tree."  In  the  house  of  Cornelius  Peter  said,  '*  And  we  are 
witnesses  of  all  things  which  He  did  both  in  the  country  of 
the  Jews,  and  in  Jerusalem  ;  whom  they  slew,  hanging  Him 
on  a  tree.  Him  God  raised  up  from  the  dead,  and  gave  Him 
to  be  made  manifest,  not  to  all  the  people,  but  to  witnesses  that 
were  before  chosen  of  God,  even  to  us,  who  ate  and  drank 
with  Him  after  He  rose  from  the  dead."  In  his  address  at 
Antioch  of  Pisidia  Paul  said,  "And  though  they  found  no 
cause  of  death  in  Him,  yet  asked  they  of  Pilate  that  He  should 
be  slain.  And  when  they  had  fulfilled  all  things  that  were 
written  of  Him,  they  took  Him  down  from  the  tree,  and  laid 
Him  in  a  tomb.  But  God  raised  Him  from  the  dead."  To 
the  Athenians  Paul  preached  Jesus  and  the  resurrection. 
Writing  to  the  Corinthians  he  said  that  the  gospel  he  preached 
to  them  was  this,  "  That  Christ  died  for  our  sins  according  to 
the  Scriptures ;  and  that  He  was  buried ;  and  that  He  hath 
been  raised  on  the  third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures."  It 
was  this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  who  had  been  put  to  death  for  our 
offenses  and  who  had  been  raised  up  for  our  justification  that 
God  exalted  with  His  own  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and 
a  Saviour,  to  give  repentance  to  Israel  and  remission  of  sins. 
By  His  death  He  became  the  author  of  eternal  redemption  to 
as  many  as  should  obey  Him ;  by  His  resurrection  He  was  de- 
clared to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  spirit 
of  holiness. 

Not  only  was  it  written  that  Christ  should  die  and  rise  from 
the  dead,  but  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 


Great  Commission  According  to  Luke      93 

preached  in  His  name  unto  all  the  nations.  The  prophets 
foretold  that  all  flesh  should  see  the  salvation  of  God.  The 
earth  should  be  filled  with  His  glory  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea.  "And  the  nations  shall  see  Thy  righteousness,  and  all 
kings  Thy  glory."  Old  Testament  prophecy  finds  its  fulfill- 
ment in  the  evangelization  of  the  world.  The  apostles  said, 
*'  To  Him  bear  all  the  prophets  witness,  that  through  His  name 
all  that  believe  on  Him  shall  receive  remission  of  sins." 

To  His  disciples  our  Lord  said,  **  Ye  are  witnesses  of  these 
things."  They  were  specially  qualified  for,  and  specially 
charged  with,  this  duty.  They  did  not  go  out  of  their  own 
accord  or  on  their  own  authority.  As  the  Father  had  sent  the 
Son,  so  the  Son  sent  them  as  witnesses.  He  called  and  trained 
them  for  this  service.  They  went  as  His  authorized  agtnts. 
They  claimed  to  be  eye-witnesses  of  the  great  facts  which  they 
proclaimed.  So  Peter  said,  "And  we  are  witnesses  of  these 
things ;  and  so  is  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  God  hath  given  to 
them  that  obey  Him."  They  were  to  preach  repentance  and 
remission  of  sins  in  the  name  of  Christ.  They  felt  that  they 
were  Christ's  ambassadors. 

The  apostles  were  to  begin  from  Jerusalem.  In  that  city  in 
which  those  matters  of  fact  upon  which  the  gospel  was  founded 
were  transacted,  and  where  they  could  be  contradicted  and 
disproved  if  they  were  not  true,  they  were  to  be  first  attested. 
On  the  very  place  where  Christ  was  condemned  and  put  to 
death  as  a  criminal  He  was  proclaimed  as  Lord  and  Messiah. 
In  the  capital  of  the  theocracy,  in  the  city  of  the  great  king. 
He  was  preached  as  the  only  hope  of  sinful  men.  There  it  was 
solemnly  announced  that  there  was  salvation  in  His  name;  and 
that  there  was  salvation  in  none  other;  for  there  was  none 
other  name  given  under  heaven  and  among  men  wherein  we 
must  be  saved.  It  had  been  said  long  ago  that  the  law  should 
go  forth  from  Mount  Zion,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from 
Jerusalem.     The  holy  city  was  the  divinely-appointed  birth- 


94  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

place  of  the  church  which  Christ  purchased  with  His  own 
blood.  The  apostles  obeyed  this  command.  They  began  in 
Jerusalem.  They  spent  some  considerable  time  in  that  city. 
Under  their  preaching  and  oversight  a  strong  and  flourishing 
church  was  built  in  Jerusalem.  The  believers  were  numbered 
by  the  tens  of  thousands.  But  the  apostles  did  not  confine 
their  labours  to  Jerusalem.  Having  made  a  good  beginning 
there  they  felt  that  they  must  extend  the  circle  of  their  activity 
as  widely  as  possible,  and  found  the  kingdom  of  God  by  their 
teaching  and  preaching.  They  began  in  Jerusalem  and  con- 
tinued there  for  a  season.  Then  leaving  the  church  under  the 
supervision  of  James,  the  Lord's  brother,  they  went  out  in  all 
directions  and  preached  a  crucified  and  risen  and  glorified 
Redeemer, 

So  important  was  the  work  of  bearing  witness  to  Christ  that 
they  were  not  to  enter  upon  it  in  their  own  wisdom  and 
strength.  Our  Lord  said  to  them,  "  And  behold,  I  send  forth 
the  promise  of  My  Father  upon  you :  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city 
till  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from  on  high."  This  promise  is 
the  promise  par  excellence.  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
gift  in  which  all  other  gifts  terminate.  So  necessary  was  it  to 
them  in  their  work  that  Jesus  had  said  to  them,  ''It  is  ex- 
pedient for  you  that  I  go  away ;  for  if  I  go  not  away  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  go  I  will  send  Him  to 
you."  The  Spirit  would  bring  all  things  to  their  remembrance 
that  He  had  taught  them,  and  would  show  them  things  to  come. 
He  would  guide  them  and  energize  them  in  the  performance 
of  the  tasks  to  which  they  were  called.  The  Spirit  was  poured 
out  on  them  on  Pentecost.  That  very  day  they  began  to  tes- 
tify, and  that  very  day  the  church  was  born.  Ever  since  the 
church  has  grown  and  spread  like  a  banyan  tree.  The 
branches  have  taken  root  and  have  spread  forth  constantly. 
The  one  hundred  and  twenty  of  the  upper  room  have  multi- 
plied into  countless  millions,  and  now  the  foremost  nations  of 
the  world  delight  to  call  themselves  Christian. 


Great  Commission  According  to  Luke      95 

It  is  plain  that  the  missionary  enterprise  is  in  accordance 
with  the  will  and  plan  of  God.  It  is  broadly  and  firmly  based 
on  the  law  of  Moses  and  on  the  prophets  and  the  Psalms.  It 
would  have  availed  little  for  Christ  to  die  and  to  be  raised  up, 
if  these  facts  were  not  published  far  and  near.  Christ  tasted 
death  for  every  man  ;  every  man  must  know  that  fact  or  he 
cannot  profit  by  it.  He  gave  Himself  for  all ;  the  testimony 
is  to  be  borne  in  its  own  time.  The  drama  of  redemption  can- 
not be  complete  without  missions.  Christ  cannot  see  of  the 
travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied  until  the  whole  world  is 
evangelized.  Professor  Strong  has  well  said,  **  The  commission 
is  the  necessary  logical  outcome  and  application  of  all  that 
had  gone  before  since  Christ  called  the  twelve  to  follow  Him. 
It  contains  the  practical  meaning  of  all  the  preaching  and  in- 
struction, and  not  of  that  alone ;  of  all  the  planning  and  pray- 
ing also,  of  all  the  faithfulness  and  sorrow  and  sacrifice.  Gal- 
ilee and  Samaria  and  Perea  and  Judea  are  incomplete  without 
this.  Olivet  and  Gethsemane  and  Calvary  and  the  tomb  of 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  are  incomplete  without  this.  Whatever 
Christ  has  said  or  done  or  suffered  from  the  beginning,  if  it 
have  any  outlet  into  the  future  at  all,  must  find  that  outlet 
through  this  charge  which  sends  the  disciples  out  fitted  to  be 
channels  of  living  water  to  the  world." 

The  promise  is,  "  Whosoever  shall  call  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  saved. "  But  the  questions  arise,  *'  How  shall  they 
call  on  Him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed  ?  and.  How  shall 
they  believe  in  Him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  and.  How 
shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?"  Missions  are  indis- 
pensable if  Christ  is  to  be  glorified.  Missions  are  as  necessary 
to  the  salvation  of  the  world  as  the  death  and  the  resurrection 
of  Christ. 

Eugene  Stock  asks,  *'  Did  a  divine  person  come  into  the 
world  to  bless  mankind  ?  Either  he  did  or  he  did  not.  If  he 
did  all  mankind  ought  to  know  it.  They  cannot  know  it  un- 
less Christian  people  tell  them.     Here  is  a  tremendous  fact,  if 


96  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

it  is  a  fact — a  fact  that  must  necessarily  concern  every  man  ; 
and  we  think  it  a  plain  and  simple  duty  to  tell  men  of  it.  All 
men  have  an  indisputable  claim  to  hear  it.  Upon  whom  have 
they  this  claim  ?  Upon  those  who  know  it  themselves.  Those 
who  know  Christ  are  to  tell  it  to  those  who  know  Him  not. 
That  is  missions."  It  must  be  right  to  make  Christ  known. 
He  cannot  be  trusted  and  loved  and  served  by  those  who  have 
DO  knowledge  of  His  character  and  teaching  and  work. 

Warneck,  the  great  German  writer  on  missions,  shows  that 
the  whole  church  of  the  present  is  the  result  of  the  missionary 
work  of  the  past.  That  which  gave  the  church  its  origin 
abides  as  the  condition  of  its  life.  Missions  are  a  natural  out- 
flow of  the  life  of  faith  in  the  church,  a  necessity  of  its  own 
preservation,  and  therefore  a  self-evident  duty.  The  church 
is  untrue  to  herself,  it  is  false  to  its  origin,  and  false  to  the  es- 
sential character  of  Christianity,  if  it  should  withdraw  from  its 
missionary  obligation.  He  refers  to  what  Paul  said  about  the 
wild  olive  branches  being  grafted  into  the  good  olive  tree. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  missionary  work  done  among  the  Gen- 
tiles the  church  would  have  perished  long  ago.  For  some 
reason  Christianity  never  took  vigorous  root  among  the  Jewish 
or  Semitic  people.  It  was  Paul's  missionary  propaganda  in 
the  regions  beyond  that  saved  the  church  and  made  it  a  world 
power.  In  the  Middle  Ages  the  missionaries  won  the  northern 
nations  to  the  faith  and  again  saved  the  church.  The  Moham- 
medan armies  would  have  exterminated  Christianity  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  conversion  of  the  northern  peoples.  It  was 
Charles  Martel  in  the  West  and  John  Sobieski  in  the  East  who 
shattered  the  Mohammedan  power  and  saved  Christianity. 
The  work  done  for  the  church  by  the  missionary  cause  in  our 
day  is  so  great  that  only  coming  generations  will  be  able 
to  fully  appreciate  it.  We  are  too  close  to  it  to  see  its  magni- 
tude and  moral  grandeur. 

Mrs.  Browning  says  that  every  age,  through  being  beheld  too 
close,  is  ill-discerned  by  those  who  have  not  lived  past  it. 


Great  Commission  According  to  Luke      97 

"  We'll  suppose 
Mount  Athos  carved,  as  Alexander  schemed, 
To  some  colossal  statue  of  a  man ; 
The  peasants,  gathering  brushwood  in  his  ear, 
Had  guessed  as  little  as  the  browsing  goats 
Of  form  or  feature  of  humanity 
Up  there — in  fact,  had  travelled  five  miles  off 
Or  ere  the  giant  image  broke  on  them  — 
Full  human  profile,  nose  and  chin  distinct, 
Mouth,  muttering  rhythms  of  silence  up  the  sky, 
And  fed  at  evening  with  the  blood  of  suns ; 
Grand  torso — hand  that  flung  perpetually 
The  largess  of  a  silver  river  down 
To  all  the  country  pastures*     'Tis  ever  thus 
With  times  we  live  in — evermore  too  great 
To  be  apprehended  near." 


The  missionary  enterprise  has  done  for  the  church  far  more 
than  the  most  enlightened  know  or  even  imagine.  It  has 
contributed  to  her  vitality  and  energy  and  enterprise  and  devo- 
tion. It  has  filled  her  with  the  instinct  of  victory.  As  she 
has  thought  of  her  sons  and  daughters,  her  heroes  and 
heroines,  on  the  far-flung  battle-line;  as  she  has  read  of  or 
listened  to  their  experiences,  her  own  heart  has  been  strangely 
warmed  and  strangely  stirred  ;  she  has  tightened  her  grip  on  the 
great  truths  of  the  gospel ;  she  has  attempted  to  live  a  more 
Christlike  life ;  she  has  summoned  all  her  powers  to  do  exploits 
in  the  name  of  her  Lord.  The  missionary  enterprise  has 
created  a  new  atmosphere  in  the  church,  an  atmosphere  in  which 
a  higher  and  finer  type  of  manhood  and  womanhood  has  been 
developed.  It  has  saved  the  church  from  worldliness,  from 
provincialism,  from  sectarianism,  from  selfishness,  and  from 
many  other  evils.  It  has  brought  the  membership  into  closer 
fellowship  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  into  more  cordial  cooperation 
with  Him  in  all  His  efforts  to  save  the  whole  world. 

Back  of  the  missionary  cause  is  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
New  Testament;   back  of  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New 


98  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Testament  is  the  eternal  purpose  of  God ;  and  back  of  the 
eternal  purpose  of  God  is  the  infinite  love  of  God  for  every  soul 
that  bears  His  image.  Because  this  cause  is  rooted  in  the  love 
of  God,  it  must  succeed.  Heaven  and  earth  may  pass  away ; 
but  His  sure  word  of  promise  cannot  fail. 


IX 

THE  DIVINE  ORDER  IN  MISSIONS    ' 
Acts  i  :  8 ;  Luke  24:  47 ;  Rom.  i  :  16 

STANDING  with  the  Eleven  on  Mount  Olivet,  our  Lord 
said  to  them,  "  But  ye  shall  receive  power,  when  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you ;  and  ye  shall  be  My  wit- 
nesses both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and 
unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  This  language  shows 
conclusively  that  He  did  not  mean  that  the  apostles  were  to  ad- 
dress themselves  to  these  places  in  the  order  named,  finishing 
one  before  doing  anything  in  the  next.  What  He  had  in  mind 
was  that  they  were  to  bear  testimony  in  them  simultaneously. 
There  is  nothing  here  to  indicate  that  any  one  of  these  places 
had  any  preference  over  the  others.  Our  Lord  was  thinking 
of  the  whole  world,  and  He  wished  them  to  undertake  world- 
wide witness-bearing.  Unquestionably  this  was  His  program. 
This  Scripture  is  frequently  misquoted  and  misapplied. 
Speakers  and  writers  quote  it  thus,  "You  shall  be  My  wit- 
nesses, first  in  Jerusalem,  then  in  Judea,  then  in  Samaria,  and 
then  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  By  substituting 
"first"  for  "both,"  and  by  inserting  "then"  three  times 
where  it  does  not  belong,  they  materially  alter  the  meaning  of 
the  sentence.  They  speak  of  their  city  or  town  as  Jerusalem, 
of  their  state  as  Judea,  of  their  nation  as  Samaria,  and  the  rest 
of  the  world,  as  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth.  The  place  in 
which  they  live  is  first  in  their  estimation  in  every  sense,  the 
state  comes  next,  the  nation  next,  and  the  outside  world  is  last 
of  all  and  least  of  all.  They  insist  that  this  should  be  the 
order  in  all  missionary  undertakings.     One  has  only  to  read 

99 


loo  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

the  passage  as  it  is  found  in  all  the  versions  to  discover  that  it 
gives  no  support  whatever  to  this  view.  The  text  has  been 
changed  to  justify  the  theory.  It  may  be  said  that  any  theory 
that  requires  a  change  in  the  inspired  text  should  be  rejected. 

If  the  apostles  had  confined  their  labours  to  Jerusalem  till 
all  the  people  in  that  city  were  reached  and  won  to  the  faith, 
they  would  not  have  been  able  to  preach  the  good  tidings  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  elsewhere.  They  had  not  so  interpreted  the 
parting  charge  of  their  Lord.  Having  made  a  beginning  in 
one  place,  they  hurried  on  to  the  next.  They  sought  to  reach 
every  part  of  the  habitable  globe  with  the  message  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  the  Crucified.  They  planned  and  laboured  for 
the  widest  possible  diffusion  of  the  gospel  and  in  the  shortest 
time  possible.  Because  of  their  policy  and  unwearied  activity, 
we  are  not  surprised  to  hear  in  a  little  time  of  the  church 
throughout  all  Judea  and  Galilee  and  Samaria.  The  Epistle 
of  James,  the  first  Christian  document  that  has  come  down  to 
us,  shows  that  the  gospel  was  heralded  among  the  twelve 
tribes  of  the  dispersion  when  it  was  written.  In  the  Epistle  to 
the  Colossians  we  read  of  the  gospel  being  preached  in  all 
creation  under  heaven,  and  of  it  bearing  fruit  in  all  the  world 
and  increasing.  In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  their 
Lord,  the  apostles  undertook  to  reach  every  section  of  the  field. 
What  they  aimed  at  they  practically  accomplished.  In  a  single 
generation  the  gospel  was  preached  in  all  the  places  named  in 
their  commission,  and  to  all  classes  and  conditions  of  society. 

The  successors  of  the  apostles  had  the  same  conception  of 
their  duty.  Eusebius  tells  us  that  they  continued  the  work  of 
preaching  the  gospel,  and  scattering  abundantly  over  the 
whole  earth  the  wholesome  seed  of  the  heavenly  kingdom.  A 
very  large  number  of  the  disciples  divided  their  goods  among 
the  poor,  left  their  country,  filled  the  office  of  evangelists, 
coveting  eagerly  to  preach  Christ,  to  carry  the  glad  tidings  of 
God  to  those  who  had  not  yet  heard  the  word  of  faith.  ''And 
after  laying  the  foundations  of  the  faith  in  some  remote  and 


The  Divine  Order  in  Missions  loi 

barbarous  countries,  establishing  pastors  among  them,  and  con- 
fiding to  them  the  care  of  these  young  settlements,  without 
stopping  longer,  they  hastened  on  to  other  nations,  attended  by 
the  grace  and  virtue  of  God."  By  the  close  of  the  first  cen- 
tury the  gospel  was  preached  from  Spain  to  Babylon  and  from 
Scythia  to  Central  Africa.  At  the  middle  of  the  second  cen- 
tury, Justin  Martyr  said,  ''  There  is  no  people,  Greek  or  bar- 
barian, or  of  any  other  race,  by  whatsoever  name  or  manners 
they  may  be  distinguished,  however  ignorant  of  arts  or  agri- 
culture, whether  they  dwell  in  tents  or  wander  about  in  covered 
wagons,  among  whom  prayers  and  thanksgivings  are  not 
offered,  in  the  name  of  the  crucified  Jesus  to  the  Father  and 
Creator  of  all  things." 

In  the  great  commission  as  recorded  by  Luke  we  learn  that 
our  Lord  told  His  apostles  to  '*  begin  from  Jerusalem."  But 
that  was  not,  as  is  erroneously  believed  and  taught,  because 
Jerusalem  was  their  home.  We  know  that  Jerusalem  was  not 
the  home  of  any  one  of  them.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  the 
people  who  heard  Peter  and  the  Eleven,  said,  *'  Are  not  all 
these  that  speak  Galileans  ? ' '  Jerusalem  was  not  their  home, 
nor  was  Judea.  In  the  different  records  of  the  great  commis- 
sion, nothing  is  said  about  preaching  in  Galilee.  They  were 
to  begin  from  Jerusalem  for  other  and  most  cogent  reasons. 
Referring  to  this  command,  Broadus  says,  '^  And  doesn't  that 
mean  that  I  ought  to  begin  at  Louisville,  and  that  you  ought 
to  begin  at  Boston,  and  others  ought  to  begin  at  Brooklyn  and 
New  York,  and  some  other  people  ought  to  begin  at  Smoketown, 
and  that  everybody  should  begin  at  home  and  work  out  in 
widening  circles  ?  I  trow  not,  because  not  one  of  these  men 
lived  in  Jerusalem."  Broadus  says  that  they  were  to  begin  at 
Jerusalem  because  at  Jerusalem  the  great  events  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  had  taken  place ;  and  if  they  had  not  made  some 
converts  in  Jerusalem  they  could  not  have  gone  to  foreign  parts 
and  expected  the  people  there  to  believe  these  events.  In 
Jerusalem  Christ  died  for  the  sins  of  the  world ;  He  was  buried ; 


102  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

He  rose  the  third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures.  If  these 
things  were  proclaimed  and  believed  by  large  numbers  of  people 
who  had  the  means  of  investigating  the  facts,  the  apostles  could 
go  elsewhere  with  some  assurance  that  their  preaching  would 
not  be  as  idle  tales  to  those  who  heard.  It  was  most  fitting 
that,  in  the  very  city  where  Christ  was  rejected  by  His  own 
people,  He  should  be  preached  as  the  Prince  of  Life,  as  the 
Son  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  that  He  should  be  accepted 
as  such. 

The  correct  rendering  is  *'  Beginning /r^;«  Jerusalem."  If 
the  Greek  had  been  so  rendered  from  the  first,  there  would  not 
have  been  so  many  attempts  to  minimize  the  missionary  appeal. 
Referring  to  the  preposition  translated  ^*  from,"  Winer  says  it 
is  "  used  to  denote  simply  the  point  from  which  motion 
proceeds."  This  agrees  with  the  Scripture;  "For  out  of  Zion 
shall  go  forth  the  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jeru- 
salem . ' '  Eugene  Stock  states  that  even  if  our  Lord  had  said  *  *  at 
Jerusalem,"  the  command  was  natural  and  reasonable.  <*Here 
in  this  city  first  :  certainly  ;  how  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  "  And 
this  was  what  was  actually  and  rightly  done.  But  after  nine- 
teen centuries  to  neglect  to  evangelize  all  nations  because  of  the 
needs  of  some  place  near  us,  and  to  do  this  on  the  strength  of 
our  Lord's  simple  and  natural  words  about  the  commencement 
of  an  age-long  and  world-wide  campaign,  is  to  adopt  a  very 
strange  course.  The  correct  translation  is  all  that  is  necessary 
to  settle  the  question  as  to  our  Lord's  meaning,  thus,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  "at"  never  meant,  nor  could  mean,  anything 
else.  The  emphasis  is  on  "  beginning."  The  church  had  and 
could  have,  but  one  birthplace.  The  Revolutionary  war 
began  at  Bunker  Hill,  but  it  was  not  confined  to  that  spot. 
Bunker  Hill  was  the  initial  point  only.  Afterwards  came  Valley 
Forge,  and  Trenton,  and  Yorktown,  but  the  war  did  not 
"begin"  at  any  of  these  places.  Paul  said  that  "from 
Jerusalem  and  round  about,  even  unto  lUyricum,"  he  had  fully 
preached  the  gospel  of  Christ.     With  him  and  with  the  others, 


The  Divine  Order  in  Missions  103 

Jerusalem  was  the  point  of  departure.  Their  field  was  the 
whole  inhabited  world.  They  did  their  best  to  cover  that 
field.     No  apostle  made  Jerusalem  his  permanent  home. 

Moreover,  at  that  particular  time  there  was  a  providential 
opportunity  for  spreading  the  gospel  far  and  near.  There  were 
dwelling  at  Jerusalem,  Jews,  devout  men,  from  every  nation 
under  heaven,  "  Parthians  and  Medes  and  Elamites,  and  the 
dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  in  Judea  and  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus 
and  Asia,  in  Phrygia  and  Pamphylia,  in  Egypt  and  the  parts 
of  Libya  about  Cyrene,  and  sojourners  from  Rome,  both  Jews 
and  proselytes,  Cretans  and  Arabians. ' '  Here  were  representa- 
tives from  fifteen  countries  and  from  the  three  then  known  con- 
tinents. They  were  gathered  in  the  capital  of  the  theocracy  in 
order  that  they  might  first  hear  the  gospel  and  then  diffuse  a 
knowledge  of  it  abroad.  These  people  were  in  touch  with  the 
lands  in  which  they  were  born.  Any  event  of  capital  impor- 
tance relating  to  their  religion  would  be  promptly  reported  to 
their  kinsfolk  and  acquaintances.  Here  was  a  great  and 
effectual  door  of  utterance  opened  by  the  finger  of  God.  Here 
was  missionary  machinery  of  the  greatest  value  ready  to  their 
hand.  If  the  apostles  had  begun  preaching  in  their  home  in 
Galilee,  they  would  have  missed  this  opportunity  for  the  wide 
propagation  of  the  gospel  which  the  presence  of  so  many  foreign 
Jews  and  proselytes  in  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  afforded. 

That  this  is  the  correct  interpretation  of  the  words, 
"  Beginning  from  Jerusalem,"  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  about 
fourteen  years  after  the  Ascension  Antioch  became  the  second 
capital  of  Christianity.  It  was  in  Antioch  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
said,  "Separate  Me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  where- 
unto  I  have  called  them."  Antioch  was  not  the  home  of 
either  of  these  men.  Barnabas  was  born  in  Cyprus ;  Saul  was 
born  in  Tarsus.  Neither  one  of  these  began  his  work  in  his 
own  home.  Saul  wanted  to  live  and  work  in  Jerusalem.  The 
Lord  said  to  him,  *'  Depart,  for  I  will  send  thee  forth  far  hence 
to  the  Gentiles."     It  was  from  Antioch  that  these  men  started 


104  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

out  on  their  first  missionary  tour ;  it  was  to  Antioch  they 
returned  and  rehearsed  all  things  that  the  Lord  had  done  with 
them.  It  was  from  Antioch  that  Paul  and  Silas  started  out  on 
their  second  missionary  tour,  and  to  Antioch  they  returned  and 
reported  their  success.  It  was  from  Antioch  that  Paul  started 
out  on  his  third  tour ;  from  that  tour  he  never  returned. 
Antioch  was  a  far  better  base  of  operations.  Jerusalem  sank  to 
a  position  of  secondary  importance.  Little  is  said  about  it 
after  the  first  few  years  of  the  Christian  era. 

Speaking  of  the  gospel,  Paul  says  it  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  everyone  that  beheves;  **to  the  Jew  first, 
and  also  to  the  Greek."  The  Jew  was  to  hear  first  because 
to  the  Jew  pertained  the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the 
covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of  God, 
and  the  promises ;  because  of  the  Jewish  race  is  Christ  concern- 
ing the  flesh,  and  not  on  account  of  any  local  or  geographical 
considerations.  In  the  second  gospel  sermon,  Peter  said  to  his 
hearers,  **Unto  you  first  God,  having  raised  up  His  Servant, 
sent  Him  to  bless  you,  in  turning  you  away  every  one  of  you 
from  his  iniquities."  He  tells  them  in  the  same  connection 
why  they  were  to  hear  first.  "  Ye  are  the  sons  of  the  prophets, 
and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made  with  your  fathers,  saying 
unto  Abraham,  '  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth 
be  blessed.'  "  They  had  a  prior  claim  to  the  Messianic  salva- 
tion because  they  were  Abraham's  seed,  and  therefore  heirs 
according  to  the  promise.  All  God's  gracious  deahngs  with 
them  were  designed  to  be  a  preparation  for  the  new  revelation 
of  Himself  and  of  His  will  in  Christ  Jesus.  They  were  to 
hear  first  because  they  were  Jews. 

For  two  thousand  years  God  had  been  preparing  these 
people  for  the  coming  of  the  Redeemer.  He  taught  them  by 
judges,  by  kings,  by  priests,  by  prophets,  by  righteous  men ; 
He  taught  them  by  bondage,  by  disaster,  by  defeat,  by  cap- 
tivity ;  He  taught  them  by  His  goodness  and  severity.  They 
had  this  great  advantage  over  all  other  peoples,  that  to  them 


The  Divine  Order  in  Missions  105 

were  committed  the  oracles  of  God.  So  it  is  said,  '*He 
showed  His  word  unto  Jacob,  His  statutes  and  His  ordinances 
unto  Israel.  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any  nation,  and  as  for 
His  ordinances  they  have  not  known  them."  In  His  talk  with 
the  woman  at  Jacob's  well,  our  Lord  said,  "  Salvation  is  from 
the  Jews."  It  was  through  Abraham's  seed  that  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  were  to  be  blessed.  Israel  was  to  become  an  apos- 
tle of  the  Gentiles.  So  God  said,  '<  I  have  set  thee  for  a  light 
to  the  nations,  that  thou  shouldst  be  for  salvation  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth."  It  was  for  Jewish  believers  to  convert  the 
world.  To  them  the  great  words  were  addressed,  "Arise, 
shine,  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen 
upon  thee.  And  the  nations  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings 
to  the  brightness  of  thy  dawn."  The  prayer  of  the  devout 
Israelite  was,  "  God  be  merciful  to  us  and  bless  us,  and  cause 
His  face  to  shine  upon  us ;  that  Thy  way  may  be  known  upon 
the  earth,  Thy  saving  health  among  all  nations."  It  was  fore- 
told that  the  law  should  go  forth  from  Mount  Zion,  and  the 
word  of  Jehovah  from  Jerusalem.  If  they  would  evangelize 
the  nations,  they  must  be  first  evangelized. 

Not  only  were  the  Jews  prepared  for  the  gospel  as  no  other 
people  were,  but  they  were  scattered  among  all  nations.  This 
contact  was  necessary  if  they  were  to  be  the  chosen  messengers 
of  God  to  give  a  knowledge  of  His  grace  to  all  nations.  Strabo 
says  it  would  not  be  easy  to  find  a  place  where  the  Jews  had 
not  gone.  The  Jew  who  had  been  of  all  men  most  provin- 
cial became  a  cosmopolitan.  Every  town  had  its  synagogue 
in  which  the  law  of  Moses  was  read  on  every  Sabbath.  The 
Jew  scoured  sea  and  land  to  make  proselytes.  Josephus  tells 
us  that  many  converts  were  made  to  Judaism.  Harnack  says 
that  the  Judaism  of  the  dispersion,  in  distinction  from  the 
Palestinian,  was  in  many  ways  both  the  prelude  to  Christianity, 
and  the  bridge  leading  over  to  it.  The  Jew  was  living  in  ex- 
pectancy of  the  promised  Messiah.  He  carried  his  great 
promise  and  his  great  hope  with  him  wherever  he  went,  and 


lo6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

filled  all  nations  with  a  sense  of  expectancy.  Giving  the  gospel 
to  the  Jew  first  was  the  very  best  way  of  reaching  all  nations. 

The  Jew  was  to  hear  the  gospel  first ;  that  was  so  ordained ; 
but  it  would  be  false  to  say  that  it  was  intended  for  the  Jew  in 
preference  to  the  Greek.  The  gospel  was  not  principally  for 
the  Jews;  it  was  for  all  men  everywhere.  *'Is  God  the  God 
of  the  Jews  only  ?  Is  He  not  of  the  Gentiles  also  ?  Yes,  of  the 
Gentiles  also;  if  so  be  that  God  is  one."  Monotheism  neces- 
sarily implied  a  universal  salvation.  If  the  gospel  is  God's 
power  to  save  the  Jew  first,  it  is  His  power  to  save  the  Greek 
also.  Paul  never  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  salvation  is  prom- 
ised to  every  believer.  Christ  is  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles ; 
as  He  is  the  glory  of  the  people  Israel.  It  was  to  the  Jews 
in  .A.ntioch  of  Pisidia  that  Paul  said,  '*  It  was  necessary  that 
the  word  of  God  should  be  first  spoken  to  you.  Seeing  ye 
thrust  it  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  eternal 
life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  The  Jews  were  an  elect 
race,  a  holy  nation,  a  people  for  God's  own  possession.  His 
first-born.  It  was  only  when  they  despised  their  birthright 
that  Paul  turned  to  the  Gentiles, 

It  was  according  to  the  counsel  of  the  eternal  God  that  the 
Jews  were  to  hear  the  word  of  truth,  the  gospel  of  their  salva- 
tion, first.  Our  Lord  recognized  this.  He  said,  "I  am  not 
sent  but  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  To  the 
Syrophenician  woman  He  said,  "  Let  the  children  first  be  filled ; 
for  it  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's  bread  and  cast  it  to  the 
dogs."  When  He  sent  out  the  Twelve  on  their  first  tour.  He 
charged  them  not  to  go  into  any  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  not 
to  enter  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans ;  they  were  to  go 
rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  Later  on  He 
commanded  them  to  bear  witness  to  Him  first  in  Jerusalem. 
They  did  that.  For  some  years  they  preached  to  none  save  to 
Jews  only.  We  find  Paul  beginning  his  work  in  the  synagogue. 
He  did  that  in  Damascus,  in  Salamis,  in  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  in 
Iconium,  in  Thessalonica,  in  Berea,  in  Athens,  in  Corinth  and 


The  Divine  Order  in  Missions  107 

in  Ephesus.  On  his  arrival  in  Rome  he  called  the  chief  men 
of  his  own  race  together  for  a  conference.  The  Jews  had  a 
priority  of  claim  and  were  first  addressed.  It  mattered  not 
where  they  lived,  they  were  the  ones  to  whom  the  good  tidings 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  were  first  proclaimed. 

The  use  often  made  of  the  passages  relating  to  the  priority 
of  the  Jew  in  point  of  gospel  privilege  finds  no  warrant  in 
Holy  Writ.  It  is  perfectly  proper  to  carry  on  work  in  one's 
own  neighbourhood,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  pervert  Scripture 
to  do  that.  Every  little  town  in  Christendom  is  not  Jerusalem  ; 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon  is  not  a  Jew.  These  passages  applied  only 
to  the  Jew,  and  to  the  Jew  for  very  special  reasons.  No  part  of 
the  wide  world  field  has  any  primacy  or  priority  now,  unless  it  be 
that  part  whose  need  is  greatest.  Christ  has  come  and  has  accom- 
plished His  work.  The  gospel  of  His  grace  is  for  all  mankind. 
Partition  walls  of  every  sort  have  been  done  away.  All  men  are 
God's  children.  They  are  made  in  His  image,  and  He  is 
equally  interested  in  the  salvation  of  all. 

The  Divine  order  in  missions  is  that  the  church  should  do  all 
in  her  power  to  give  the  gospel  to  every  kindred  and  nation  and 
tongue  and  tribe  and  people  on  the  globe.  She  is  not  to  con- 
fine her  efforts  to  any  one  section.  The  great  commission  con- 
templates the  evangelization  of  "all  nations,"  "all  the  world," 
"the  whole  creation,"  "the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." 
Only  as  the  parting  charge  of  our  Lord  is  realized  can  He  see 
of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  be  satisfied. 


MISSIONS  IN  THE  EARLY  YEARS  OF 
CHRISTIANITY 

And  they  went  forth  and  preached  everytvherey  the  Lord  working 
with  them,  and  confirming  the  word  by  the  signs  that  followed. 
— Mark  i6  :  20. 

7hey  therefore  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  about  preaching  the 
word. — Acts  8  :  4. 

THE  missionary  cause  is  a  distinguishing  characteristic 
of  the  Christian  rehgion.  It  has  been  said  that  no 
other  rehgion  has  made  it  the  indispensable  duty  of 
its  votaries  to  disseminate  its  principles  throughout  the  world  in 
order  to  ameliorate  the  moral  condition  of  the  human  family, 
from  a  principle  of  pure  goodwill  to  man.  Referring  to  the 
time  when  the  Church  was  established,  Ramsay  says  that  no 
existing  religion  was  wider  than  national ;  and  no  ancient  re- 
ligion wished  to  proselytize  or  take  in  new  members.  The  ob- 
ject of  each  was  to  confine  its  benefits  to  a  small  circle  of 
devotees,  and  to  enlist  the  aid  of  the  god  whom  it  worshipped 
against  all  strangers,  all  foreigners,  all  enemies,  that  is,  against 
all  who  were  not  within  the  privileged  circle.  Our  Lord  pro- 
jected a  policy  which  was  the  exact  opposite  of  this.  He  con- 
templated reaching  every  living  soul.  So  it  came  to  pass 
that  the  church  which  He  founded  was,  during  the  first  period 
of  its  existence,  distinctively  a  missionary  organization.  Its 
chief  and  almost  its  sole  purpose  was  that  of  spreading  the 
gospel  far  and  near.  Its  endeavour  was  to  carry  into  effect  the 
parting  command  of  its  Founder,  to  make  disciples  of  all  the 

108 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  109 

nations.  In  speaking  of  missions  in  the  early  years  of  Chris- 
tianity I  ask  your  attention  — 

I.  To  the  field.  Our  Lord  was  very  explicit  in  His  instruc- 
tions as  to  the  territory  to  be  occupied.  In  one  of  His  parables 
He  said,  "■  The  field  is  the  world."  He  said  again,  *<  For  God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life."  <'For  God  sent  not  His  Son  into  the  world  to 
judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world."  "  This  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  for  a  testimony 
to  all  the  nations."  <<  I  am  the  light  of  the  world  ;  he  that 
followeth  Me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall  have  the  light 
of  life. ' '  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  never  represented  as  the  Saviour 
of  one  race  or  of  one  nation,  but  always  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
world.  He  tasted  death  for  every  man ;  He  gave  Himself  a 
ransom  for  all.  He  said  to  His  disciples,  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of 
the  earth;  ye  are  the  light  of  the  world."  He  charged  them 
to  go  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole 
creation.  Nothing  less  than  the  evangelization  and  Christian- 
ization  of  the  whole  world  will  accomplish  His  purpose  and 
satisfy  His  heart. 

The  world  as  known  by  the  disciples  was  the  Roman 
Empire.  The  world  of  that  time  was  a  Mediterranean  world, 
and  extended  three  thousand  miles  east  and  west,  and  fifteen 
hundred  miles  north  and  south.  The  area  of  the  Empire 
measured  about  two  million  square  miles.  In  that  area  there 
were  between  four  and  five  thousand  cities.  Many  of  those 
cities  were  accessible  by  boats.  The  population  of  the  Empire 
was  about  one  hundred  miUions.  These  figures  show  that  the 
world  as  then  known  was  somewhat  larger  than  India,  and  had 
a  population  about  one-third  as  large  as  that  of  India.  The 
immediate  task  of  the  church  was  the  conquest  of  this  people 
and  their  institutions.  To  the  wise  man  of  that  day  the  most 
audacious  and  the  most  hopeless  work  ever  undertaken  by  man 
was  that  of  bringing  the  Roman  Empire  into  captivity  to  the 


no  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

obedience  of  Christ.  The  learning,  the  wisdom,  the  wealth, 
and  the  power  of  the  world  were  arrayed  against  the  church 
and  absolutely  confident  of  the  victory. 

II.  The  agents.  The  commission  was  given  to  eleven  men. 
On  a  mountain  in  Galilee  our  Lord  said  to  them,  "All 
authority  hath  been  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and  on  earth. 
Go  ye  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptiz- 
ing them  into  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of 
the  Holy  Spirit :  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatso- 
ever I  have  commanded  you."  While  the  commission  was 
originally  given  to  the  eleven  it  was  given  to  them  as  represent- 
atives of  all  believers.  We  know  what  the  apostles  did.  We 
know  how  far  they  went  and  the  countries  they  evangelized. 
Speaking  for  himself  Paul  said  that  from  Jerusalem  and  round 
about  even  unto  lilyricum  he  had  fully  preached  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  These  places  did  not  mark  the  limits  of  the  field  of 
his  activity.  He  began  in  Damascus  ;  he  preached  as  far  west 
as  Rome  and  perhaps  as  far  as  Spain.  Peter  preached  in 
Babylon,  and  wrote  to  the  elect  who  were  sojourners  of  the 
Dispersion  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia  and  Bithynia. 
Tradition  tells  us  that  Thomas  went  to  India,  Bartholomew  to 
Parthia,  Andrew  to  Russia,  Thaddeus  to  Edessa,  Philip  to 
Scythia,  Matthew  to  Ethiopia,  Judas  the  Zealot  to  Arabia. 
No  one  knows  how  much  truth  there  is  in  these  traditions.  But 
it  is  certain  that  the  apostles  were  busy  somewhere.  The  mag- 
nificent results  achieved  indicate  this. 

Harnack  says  that  the  most  numerous  and  successful  mis- 
sionaries were  not  the  regular  teachers,  but  Christians  them- 
selves by  dint  of  their  loyalty  and  courage.  Above  all,  every 
confessor  and  martyr  was  a  missionary ;  he  not  merely  con- 
firmed the  faith  of  those  already  won,  but  also  enlisted  new 
members  by  his  testimony  and  his  death.  It  was  no  empty 
phrase  when  Tertullian  and  others  like  him  asserted  that  the 
blood  of  the  Christians  was  a  seed.  Nevertheless  it  was  not 
merely  the  confessors  and  martyrs  who  were  missionaries ;  it  was 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  1 1 1 

characteristic  of  this  religion  that  every  one  who  seriously  con- 
fessed the  faith  proved  of  service  to  its  propaganda.  We  can- 
not hesitate  to  believe  that  the  great  mission  of  the  church  was 
in  reality  accomplished  by  informal  missionaries.  The  testi- 
mony of  Celsus,  a  bitter  enemy,  is  to  the  same  effect.  "  Many 
of  the  Christians  without  any  special  calling,  watch  for  oppor- 
tunities, and  both  within  and  without  the  temples,  boldly  pro- 
claim their  faith  ;  they  find  their  way  into  the  cities  and  the 
armies,  and  there  having  called  the  people  together,  harangue 
them  with  fanatical  gestures."  Gibbon  says  it  became  the  most 
sacred  duty  of  a  new  convert  to  diffuse  among  his  friends  and 
relations  the  inestimable  blessings  which  he  had  received,  and 
to  warn  them  against  a  refusal  that  would  be  severely  punished 
as  a  criminal  disobedience  to  the  will  of  a  benevolent  but  all- 
powerful  Deity. 

We  are  told  that  the  supreme  characteristic  of  the  apostolic 
church  in  this  respect  was  the  missionary  zeal  and  activity  of 
the  individual  members.  Not  only  apostles  and  evangelists  and 
teachers,  but  merchants,  and  miners,  and  sailors,  and  soldiers, 
and  craftsmen,  voluntarily  made  it  one  of  their  chief  objects, 
whether  at  home  or  abroad,  in  private  or  public  life,  to  extend 
to  others  the  gospel  message.  There  were  garrisons  along  the 
borders  of  The  Empire.  These  became  outposts  of  Christian 
civilization.  ''  These  military  barracks  soon  became  centres 
from  which  Christianity  spread  outside  the  civilized  world,  and 
these  isolated  spots  along  the  Rhine,  the  Danube,  the  Euxine 
and  the  Euphrates  became  oases  of  the  faith.  When  the 
armies  pushed  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  Empire  Christian- 
ity was  sure  to  go  with  them.  Christian  soldiers  captured  and 
enslaved  by  barbarians  were  the  means  of  converting  whole 
nations."  Women  as  well  as  men  were  active  agents.  It  was 
Prisca  and  her  husband  that  expounded  the  way  of  the  Lord 
more  accurately  to  the  eloquent  Apollos.  They  were  Paul's 
fellow  workers  in  Christ  Jesus ;  they  laid  down  their  necks  for 
the  apostle's  sake.     All  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles  united  with 


112  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Paul  in  giving  them  thanks.  Tryphaena  and  Tryphosa 
laboured  in  the  Lord.  Mary  and  the  beloved  Persis  laboured 
much.  Phoebe  was  a  servant  of  the  church  at  Cenchrsea ;  she 
had  been  a  helper  of  many  and  of  the  apostle  himself.  Euodia 
and  Syntyche  laboured  in  the  gospel  with  Paul,  and  he  says  their 
names  are  in  the  book  of  life. 

Then  as  in  no  period  since  every  individual  Christian  was  a 
missionary,  and  it  was  to  this  individualistic  evangelism  that  the 
marvellous  extension  of  that  time  was  due.  History  shows  that 
Christianity  was  carried  into  Lyons,  the  rich  city  of  the  Gauls, 
and  into  the  opulent  provinces  of  Asia  by  commercial  men. 
It  was  carried  into  Germany  by  some  prisoners  of  war.  At  the 
close  of  a  fierce  persecution,  which  scattered  the  believers  in 
Alexandria,  churches  were  founded  by  the  fugitives  in  the 
neighbouring  countries.  The  whole  church  was  essentially  a 
missionary  society.  The  life  of  the  church  was  one  long  con- 
flict; it  must  fight  in  self-defense,  and  conquer  or  die. 
Pressense  says,  "  A  Christian  had  but  to  cross  his  own  threshold, 
and  walk  the  public  streets  of  his  own  city,  to  find  a  pagan 
people  at  his  own  door  to  be  converted."  A  new  convert 
became  the  missionary  to  his  own  family ;  the  most  humble 
were  often  the  most  powerful.  Wherever  a  Christian  set  foot, 
however  barren  the  soil,  there  he  planted  the  cross  and  gathered 
around  him  the  nucleus  of  a  church. 

III.  The  methods.  The  first  I  mention  was  that  of  preach- 
ing. The  Master  said  to  the  eleven,  "  Thus  it  is  written,  that 
the  Christ  should  suff'er,  and  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day ; 
and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached 
in  His  name  unto  all  the  nations."  On  the  day  of  Pentecost 
the  believers  in  Jerusalem  were  all  together  in  one  place.  A 
sound  from  heaven  as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind  filled  the 
house,  and  tongues  parting  asunder  as  of  fire  sat  upon  each 
one.  These  tongues  were  symbols  of  their  office.  They  indi- 
cated, as  Longfellow  said,  that  they  were  to  preach  in  every 
form  of  human  speech,  from  continent  to  continent.     The 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  113 

record  says  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  began 
to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
Peter  was  the  principal  speaker  on  that  occasion.  Before  the 
day  closed  three  thousand  were  added  to  the  original  number 
of  believers.  Later  on  we  are  told  that  every  day,  in  the 
temple  and  at  home,  they  ceased  not  to  teach  and  to  preach 
Jesus  as  the  Christ.  When  the  number  of  disciples  was 
multiplying,  the  apostles  felt  that  it  was  not  fit  that  they  should 
forsake  the  word  of  God  and  serve  tables.  At  their  suggestion 
seven  men  of  good  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of 
wisdom,  were  appointed  over  the  business  of  distributing  food 
to  those  who  had  need,  and  the  apostles  gave  themselves 
steadfastly  to  prayer  and  to  the  ministry  of  the  word.  When 
persecution  came  and  the  church  was  scattered  those  that  were 
scattered  abroad  went  about  preaching  the  word.  Philip  went 
down  to  the  city  of  Samaria  and  proclaimed  to  them  the  Christ. 
Peter  told  Cornelius  that  Christ  charged  the  apostles  to  preach 
unto  the  people,  and  to  testify  that  this  is  He  who  is  ordained 
of  God  to  be  the  Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead.  Paul  said 
that  it  pleased  God  to  reveal  His  Son  in  him,  that  he  might 
preach  Him  among  the  Gentiles.  He  says  elsewhere  that  he 
was  appointed  a  preacher  and  an  apostle  and  a  teacher  of  the 
Gentiles  in  faith  and  truth.  As  soon  as  he  was  convinced  of 
the  messiahship  of  Jesus  he  began  to  preach.  In  Damascus  he 
proclaimed  Jesus,  that  He  is  the  Son  of  God.  In  Jerusalem  he 
preached  boldly  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Paul  wrote  to  the 
Colossians  that  he  proclaimed  Christ,  admonishing  every  man, 
and  teaching  every  man  in  all  wisdom,  that  he  might  present 
every  man  perfect  in  Christ;  *<whereunto  I  labour  also, 
striving  according  to  His  working,  which  worketh  in  me 
mightily."  To  the  Ephesians  he  wrote,  ''Unto  me  who  am 
less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  was  this  grace  given,  to  preach 
unto  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ."  The 
early  church  was  a  witnessing  church ;  it  was  a  preaching 
church.     The   truth   concerning   Christ  was   proclaimed  and 


114  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

pressed  home  to  the  heart  and  conscience.  Mark's  statement 
that  they  went  out  and  preached  everywhere  is  a  summary  of 
the  record  of  what  was  done. 

The  second  method  I  mention  is  that  of  working  miracles. 
When  our  Lord  gave  them  His  parting  charge  He  said  to 
them,  ''  These  signs  shall  accompany  them  that  believe  :  in 
My  name  shall  they  cast  out  demons ;  they  shall  speak  with 
new  tongues ;  they  shall  take  up  deadly  serpents,  and  if  they 
shall  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  in  no  wise  hurt  them  ; 
they  shall  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover. ' '  To 
the  lame  beggar  at  the  beautiful  gate  of  the  temple  Peter  said, 
*' In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  walk."  Imme- 
diately his  feet  and  ankle-bones  received  strength.  And  leaping 
up,  he  stood,  and  began  to  walk ;  and  he  entered  with  them 
into  the  temple,  walking,  and  leaping,  and  praising  God. 
Stephen,  full  of  grace  and  power,  wrought  great  wonders  and 
signs  among  the  people.  The  Samaritans  gave  heed  to  the 
things  that  were  spoken  by  Philip  when  they  heard  and  saw 
the  signs  which  he  did.  *'  For  from  many  of  those  that  had 
unclean  spirits,  they  came  out,  crying  with  a  loud  voice :  and 
many  that  were  palsied,  and  that  were  lame,  were  healed." 
Peter  found  a  paralytic  in  Lydda ;  he  had  been  in  bed  for 
eight  years.  Peter  said  to  him,  "^neas,  Jesus  Christ  healeth 
thee;  arise,  and  make  thy  bed."  And  straightway  he  arose. 
In  Joppa  Peter  prayed  beside  the  body  of  Dorcas  and  said, 
**  Tabitha,  arise,"  and  she  opened  her  eyes  and  sat  up.  In 
Jerusalem  they  even  carried  the  sick  out  into  the  streets,  and 
laid  them  on  beds  and  couches,  that,  as  Peter  came  by,  at  the 
least  his  shadow  might  overshadow  some  one  of  them.  "And 
there  came  also  together  the  multitude  from  the  cities  round 
about  Jerusalem,  bringing  sick  folk,  and  them  that  were  vexed 
with  unclean  spirits:  and  they  were  healed  every  one."  At 
Lystra  there  was  a  cripple  who  had  never  walked.  Paul  said 
to  him,  "Stand  upright  on  thy  feet."  And  he  leaped  up  and 
walked.     The  people  who  saw  this  were  amazed  and  thought 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  1 15 

the  gods  had  come  down  in  the  likeness  of  men.  In  Ephesus 
special  miracles  were  wrought  by  the  hands  of  Paul :  insomuch 
that  unto  the  sick  were  carried  away  from  his  body  handker- 
chiefs or  aprons,  and  the  diseases  departed  from  them,  and  the 
evil  spirits  went  out.  On  the  island  of  Malta  Paul  laid  his 
hand  on  the  father  of  Publius  and  healed  him.  And  when  this 
was  done  the  rest  also  who  had  diseases  came  and  were  cured. 
These  miracles  of  healing  directed  the  attention  of  the  people 
to  Christ  the  source  of  life  and  health.  They  disposed  many 
to  give  a  favourable  hearing  to  the  truth  and  to  accept  it.  As 
a  result  of  the  healing  of  ^neas  it  is  said  that  all  that  dwelt  at 
Lydda  and  Sharon  turned  to  the  Lord.  When  it  became 
known  throughout  Joppa  that  Dorcas  was  restored  to  life,  many 
believed  on  the  Lord. 

Thirdly,  the  apostles  associated  other  men  with  them  in  the 
service  and  directed  them  and  their  labours.  Some  of  these 
were  young  men  of  unusual  promise.  We  know  the  names  of 
some  of  these  :  Timothy,  Titus,  Silas,  Epaphroditus,  Luke, 
Epaphras,  Sosthenes,  Tychicus,  Secundus,  Aristarchus, 
Sopater,  Trophimus,  Urbanus,  Quadratus,  Zenas  the  lawyer, 
Andronicus,  Junias,  Rufus,  Ampliatus,  Herodion,  Lucius, 
Jason,  and  Epaenetus.  Of  Timothy  it  is  said  that  as  a  child 
serveth  a  father,  so  he  served  with  Paul  in  the  furtherance  of 
the  gospel.  Timothy  was  left  at  one  time  in  Ephesus  that  he 
might  charge  certain  men  not  to  teach  a  different  doctrine, 
neither  to  give  heed  to  fables  and  endless  genealogies  which 
minister  questionings,  rather  than  a  dispensation  of  God  which 
is  in  faith.  Titus  was  left  in  Crete,  that  he  might  set  in  order 
the  things  that  were  wanting,  and  appoint  elders  in  every  city. 
Tychicus  was  sent  to  Ephesus  that  he  might  make  all  things 
known  to  the  Christians  there,  and  that  he  might  comfort  their 
hearts.  Paul  spoke  of  Epaphroditus  as  *'my  brother  and  fel- 
low soldier,  and  your  messenger  and  minister  to  my  need." 
Aristarchus  and  Mark  and  Justus  "  are  my  fellow  workers  unto 
the  kingdom  of  God,  men  that  have  been  a  comfort  unto  me." 


ll6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Other  men  whose  names  are  mentioned  had  special  tasks 
assigned  them.  They  assisted  the  work  in  many  ways.  In 
the  work  they  did  they  were  being  prepared  to  lead  when  the 
apostles  should  go  to  their  reward. 

Fourthly,  the  believers  were  organized  and  instructed  and 
put  to  work.  The  apostles  did  not  give  their  testimony  and 
then  pass  on,  leaving  the  converts  to  do  as  they  pleased. 
They  gathered  them  into  churches.  Elders  were  appointed  to 
protect  and  to  feed  the  flock.  They  were  to  exercise 
oversight,  not  of  constraint,  but  willingly,  according  to  the 
will  of  God,  nor  yet  for  filthy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind : 
neither  as  lording  it  over  the  charge  allotted  to  them,  but  mak- 
ing themselves  ensamples  to  the  flock.  The  men  selected  for 
this  high  office  must  be  apt  to  teach ;  they  must  hold  to  the 
faithful  word  which  is  according  to  the  teaching,  that  they 
might  be  able  both  to  exhort  in  the  sound  doctrine,  and  to  con- 
vict the  gainsayers.  The  believers  were  to  continue  steadfastly 
in  the  apostles*  teaching  and  the  fellowship,  and  the  breaking 
of  bread  and  the  prayers.  The  ordinances  created  and  kept 
alive  the  sense  of  unity.  For  in  one  Spirit  were  they  all  bap- 
tized into  one  body.  The  common  worship  with  the  Lord's 
Supper  as  its  centre  maintained  the  feeling  of  brotherhood. 
<'No  other  cultus  could  point  to  such  a  ceremony,  with  its 
sublimity  and  unction,  its  brotherly  feeling  and  many-sided- 
ness. Here  every  experience,  every  spiritual  need,  found  re- 
freshment. It  was  a  thanksgiving,  a  sacrifice,  a  representation 
here  and  now  of  the  death  of  Christ,  a  love-feast  of  the 
brotherhood,  a  support  of  the  hungry  and  distressed."  The 
believers  were  encouraged  and  enabled  to  live  lives  of  holiness. 
By  doing  so  they  put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men. 
They  caused  many  to  glorify  God  in  the  day  of  visitation. 
Under  such  teaching  and  oversight  the  church  became  more 
and  more  a  disciplined  and  efficient  force.  So  it  came  to  pass 
as  has  been  said  that  every  new  church  founded  became  in  its 
turn  a  new  base  for  further  operations,  and  so  it  was  that  the 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  117 

gospel  spread  with  a  rapidity  and  an  enthusiasm  that  carried 
all  before  it. 

Fifthly,  they  visited  and  confirmed  the  believers.  On  their 
return  from  the  first  missionary  tour,  Paul  and  Barnabas  visited 
Lystra  and  Iconium  and  Antioch,  confirming  the  souls  of  the 
disciples,  exhorting  them  to  continue  in  the  faith,  and  that 
through  many  tribulations  we  must  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.  After  the  council  in  Jerusalem,  Judas  and  Silas,  being 
themselves  also  prophets,  exhorted  the  brethren  in  Antioch 
with  many  words  and  confirmed  them.  We  read  that  Paul 
and  Barnabas  tarried  in  Antioch,  teaching  and  preaching  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  with  many  others  also.  After  some  days 
Paul  said  to  Barnabas,  ''Let  us  return  now  and  visit  the 
brethren  in  every  city  wherein  we  proclaimed  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  and  see  how  they  fare."  Barnabas  wanted  to  take  Mark 
with  them.  Because  of  this  he  and  Paul  parted  company. 
Paul  chose  Silas,  and  went  forth,  being  commended  by  the 
brethren  to  the  grace  of  God.  And  he  went  through  Syria  and 
Cilicia  confirming  the  churches.  Paul  and  Silas  visited  Derbe 
and  Lystra  and  the  other  places  in  the  region  of  Phrygia  and 
Galatia  where  churches  had  been  founded  on  the  first  tour. 
As  they  went  they  delivered  to  the  churches  the  decrees  which 
had  been  ordained  by  the  apostles  and  elders  in  Jerusalem. 
"  So  the  churches  were  strengthened  in  the  faith  and  increased 
in  number  daily."  After  his  return  from  the  second  tour, 
Paul  spent  some  time  in  Antioch,  and  then  departed  and  went 
through  the  region  of  Galatia  and  Phrygia,  in  order,  establish- 
ing all  the  disciples.  On  this  third  tour  he  spent  two  years  in 
Ephesus.  After  that  he  passed  through  Macedonia  and 
Achaia,  and  gave  much  exhortation  to  the  disciples.  By  these 
visits  the  believers  were  constituted  a  compact  and  powerful 
body.     As  the  church  was  edified  it  was  multiplied. 

Sixthly,  literature  was  provided.  The  things  most  surely 
believed  were  reduced  to  writing.  The  gospels  were  written 
that  believers  might  know  the  certainty  concerning  the  things 


Ii8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

wherein  they  had  been  instructed.  Speaking  of  the  things  not 
written  in  his  Gospel  John  said,  *'  But  these  are  written,  that 
ye  may  beheve  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God ;  and 
that  beUeving  ye  may  have  life  in  His  name."  The 
Epistles  were  written  to  protect  the  churches  against  heresies, 
to  stir  the  members  up  to  do  their  duty ;  and  to  make  the  whole 
counsel  of  God  known.  In  these  documents  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  all  that  relates  to  life 
and  godliness  are  set  forth.  Far  more  than  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Scriptures  the  New  Testament  is  profitable  for  teach- 
ing, for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  which  is  in 
righteousness;  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  complete, 
furnished  completely  unto  every  good  work.  The  written 
word  is  able  to  make  one  wise  unto  salvation,  and  is  therefore 
an  evangelistic  agency  of  the  greatest  value. 

IV.  The  motive.  The  command  of  the  risen  Lord  was 
clear  and  plain.  He  said  to  His  disciples,  **Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation."  *'Ye 
shall  be  My  witnesses  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and 
Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  That 
command  was  unlike  any  other  ever  given,  in  that  it  had  all 
authority  in  heaven  and  on  earth  behind  it.  Their  Lord's 
command  impelled  them  to  devote  their  lives  to  this  task. 
Another  motive  was  the  need  of  the  world.  Darkness  covered 
the  lands,  and  gross  darkness  the  peoples.  Gibbon  says  that 
to  the  philosophers  all  religions  were  equally  false ;  to  the  people 
they  were  all  equally  true ;  and  to  the  statesman  they  were  all 
equally  useful.  The  Emperor  was  at  once  a  priest,  an  atheist, 
and  a  god.  The  nations  needed  pardon  and  peace  and  hope ; 
they  needed  strength  for  their  daily  tasks  and  burdens ;  they 
needed  the  consolation  that  brightens  the  great  mystery  of  the 
grave.  The  need  was  a  motive.  Compassion  led  those  who 
were  enlightened  and  redeemed  to  give  the  blessings  of 
redemption  to  all  mankind.  The  love  of  Christ  constrained 
them.     To  many  they  appeared  to  be  beside  themselves ;  the 


Missions  in  the  Early  Years  119 

onlookers  did  not  know  the  secret  of  their  quenchless 
enthusiasm.  They  did  not  know  that  the  love  of  Christ  was 
the  mainspring  of  their  lives.  Christ  in  them  was  the  hope  of 
glory  ;  Christ  in  them  was  the  force  that  sent  them  out  in  all 
directions  to  make  His  saving  grace  and  power  known.  Law- 
rence says,  "The  main  source  of  missions  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  in  any  motive  at  all,  but  in  a  motor,  in  Christ  Him- 
self as  author,  operator,  and  energizer  of  all  divine  vitalities 
and  activities.  Christ  is  the  one  motive  power.  Not  the 
command  of  Christ,  not  the  love  of  Christ,  not  the  glory  of 
God,  not  the  peril  or  guilt  or  possibilities  of  souls,  no  one  of 
these  alone  is  the  great  controlling  force,  but  Christ  Himself." 
The  prince  of  missionaries  is  represented  as  saying, 

"  Christ !  I  am  Christ's  !  and  let  the  name  suffice  you, 
Ay,  for  me  too  He  greatly  hath  sufficed : 
Lo !  with  no  winning  words  I  would  entice  you, 
Paul  has  no  honour  and  no  friend  but  Christ. 

"  Yes,  without  cheer  of  sister  or  of  daughter, 
Yes,  without  stay  of  father  or  of  son, 
Lone  on  the  land  and  homeless  on  the  water 
Pass  I  in  patience  till  the  work  be  done." 

V.  The  results.  No  one  can  read  the  New  Testament  or 
the  writings  of  friends  or  enemies  of  the  truth  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  Christianity  is  a  victorious  faith. 
The  success  of  Pentecost  was  a  forecast  of  what  was  to  come. 
Triumphs  are  scored  on  every  field.  The  apostles  are  spoken 
of  as  the  men  that  had  turned  the  world  upside  down.  The 
elders  in  Jerusalem  said  to  Paul,  "  Thou  seest,  brother,  how 
many  myriads  there  are  among  the  Jews  of  them  that  have  be- 
lieved." The  charge  made  against  this  man  by  the  Jews  was 
that  he  taught  all  men  everywhere  against  the  people,  and  the 
law,  and  the  temple.  They  were  alarmed  and  wanted  to  take 
his  life.  Their  fear  is  a  measure  of  the  progress  of  the  truth. 
Persecutions  show  the  same  thing.     If  no  victories  were  being 


120  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

won,  the  authorities  would  have  ignored  it.  They  saw  it  mak- 
ing progress  in  all  ranks,  in  the  army,  in  the  court,  among 
scholars,  everywhere.  Writing  to  the  Romans  the  apostle  said, 
*  *  Your  faith  is  proclaimed  throughout  the  whole  world. ' '  To  the 
Colossians  he  spoke  of  the  gospel  which  they  heard,  and  which 
was  preached  in  all  creation  under  heaven.  It  could  be  said  of 
the  missionaries  that  their  sound  went  out  into  all  the  earth, 
and  their  words  unto  the  end  of  the  world.  Early  in  the  fourth 
century  the  Emperor  was  numbered  among  the  converts.  His 
conversion  is  an  indication  of  the  triumph  of  the  gospel. 
With  the  conversion  of  Constantine  persecution  for  the  sake  of 
the  Name  ceased.  What  had  been  the  consolation  of  the  slave 
and  the  fugitive  in  the  catacombs  became  the  creed  of  the 
statesman  and  the  magistrate,  and  the  cross  was  blazoned  on 
the  banner  of  the  Empire. 


XI 

PAUUS  ATTITUDE  TOWARDS  MISSIONS 
Rom.  I  :    13-16;   15:   19-21 

PAUL  gloried  in  the  fact  that  he  was  called  of  God  to  be 
a  missionary  to  the  heathen.  At  the  time  of  Paul's 
conversion  the  Lord  said  to  Ananias,  "  He  is  a  chosen 
vessel  unto  Me,  to  bear  My  name  before  the  Gentiles  and 
kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel."  Paul  was  profoundly 
concerned  about  the  salvation  of  his  own  countrymen;  he 
wanted  to  stay  in  Jerusalem  and  preach  to  them.  But  the 
Lord  said  to  him,  "  Depart,  for  I  will  send  thee  forth  far  hence 
to  the  Gentiles."  He  went  out  into  the  heathen  world,  and 
published  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  everywhere.  Later 
in  his  life  we  hear  him  say,  "  Inasmuch  then  as  I  am  an 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  I  glorify  my  ministry."  The  record 
of  his  work  as  a  missionary  fills  a  large  place  in  The  Acts.  Of 
one  of  his  missionary  tours.  Stalker  affirms  that  in  its  issues  it 
far  outrivalled  the  expedition  of  Alexander  the  Great  when  he 
carried  the  arms  and  civilization  of  Greece  into  the  heart  of 
Asia,  or  that  of  Csesar  when  he  landed  on  the  shores  of 
Britain,  or  even  the  voyage  of  Columbus  when  he  discovered 
a  new  world.  The  whole  world  is  different  from  what  it  would 
have  been  because  of  what  Paul  did  while  serving  Christ  as  a 
foreign  missionary.     He  made  all  nations  his  beneficiaries. 

There  are  a  few  sentences  used  by  Paul  which  deserve 
special  attention,  because  they  furnish  clues  to  his  thought  on 
this  subject.  The  first  one  that  I  wish  you  to  consider  v/ith 
me  is  this,  ''Oftentimes  I  purposed  to  come  to  you."  He 
earnestly  desired  to  preach  in  Rome,  as  he  had  preached  in 
Antioch  and  Athens  and  Corinth  and  Ephesus  and  other  large 


122  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

centres  of  population.  He  wanted  some  fruit  in  the  capital 
of  the  Empire,  as  in  other  parts  of  the  heathen  world.  While 
in  Ephesus  he  purposed  in  the  spirit,  when  he  had  passed 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  saying, 
"After  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome."  After 
visiting  Rome  it  was  his  intention  to  go  on  to  Spain.  Having 
received  the  gospel  he  could  not  keep  its  treasures  of  grace 
and  glory  to  himself.  From  the  time  the  Holy  Spirit  said, 
**  Separate  Me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I 
have  called  them,"  he  found  no  rest.  He  was  constantly  in 
motion.  He  must  reach  the  unevangelized  with  the  message 
of  salvation.  He  preached  through  western  Asia ;  he  crossed 
over  into  Europe  and  preached  in  the  principal  cities  of  that 
continent.  Speaking  of  his  work  he  said  that  from  Jerusalem, 
and  round  about  even  unto  Illyricum,  he  had  fully  preached 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  To  all  the  people  in  that  vast  sweep  of 
country  he  had  made  Christ  known.  He  knew  that  it  was  the 
purpose  of  God  that  all  men  everywhere  should  hear  the  word 
of  truth,  the  gospel  of  their  salvation.  He  knew  that  the 
parting  command  of  the  Redeemer  was,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation."  He 
could  not  be  idle  or  indifferent.  He  was  * '  elect  unto  obedience. ' ' 
There  was  no  place  in  his  life  for  excuses  or  apologies. 

The  Lord  had  said,  "  I  will  show  him  how  many  things  he 
must  suffer  for  My  sake."  He  was  stoned,  he  was  beaten  with 
rods,  he  was  shipwrecked,  he  was  in  perils  many  times ;  he  was 
hungry,  he  was  cold,  he  was  weary,  he  was  sick,  he  was 
anxious ;  he  was  assured  that  in  every  city  bonds  and  afflictions 
were  waiting  for  him  :  but  none  of  these  things  moved  him,  or 
caused  him  to  change  his  plans  or  to  abate  his  ardour.  He  was 
called  to  do  a  work  for  God,  and  he  must  obey.  Some  boat- 
men said  to  their  commander,  *'It  is  impossible  to  cross  this 
stream  in  such  a  storm."  He  replied,  "  I  do  not  know  that  it 
is  impossible  ;  I  do  know  that  it  must  be  attempted."  So  Paul 
felt.     People  might  say  that  he  was  beside  himself,  that  much 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions         123 

learning  had  made  him  mad ;  they  might  deny  his  apostleship 
and  denounce  him  as  a  fraud  ;  they  might  sneer  at  him  as  a 
babbler  and  call  his  message  foolishness :  it  was  for  him  to  do 
his  duty.  He  had  a  high  and  holy  mission  to  accomplish, 
and  he  must  do  it  at  any  hazard  and  at  any  cost. 

«  Or  if  the  ache  of  travel  or  of  toil 

"Would  sometimes  bring  a  short,  sharp  cry  of  pain 
From  agony  of  fever,  blain  or  boil, 

'Twas  but  to  crush  it  down  and  on  again." 

At  Lystra  he  was  stoned  and  dragged  out  as  dead.  In  Philippi 
he  was  scourged  and  thrust  into  the  inner  prison.  All  the 
while  he  was  planning  new  campaigns  and  new  conquests. 
Though  his  plans  were  hindered  more  than  once,  he  did  not 
give  up  in  despair.  He  had  one  supreme  ambition,  and  that 
was  to  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  he 
had  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God.  He  gathered  bright  young  men  about  him  and 
trained  them.  He  make  them  partakers  of  his  service  and  of 
his  joy.  Paul  was  constantly  thinking  how  he  could  best  do 
the  Lord's  work. 

Others  have  felt  the  same.  They  knew  the  Lord's  will  and 
they  were  concerned  to  do  it.  William  Carey  purposed  in  his 
heart  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  unsaved.  He  found  a  way  to 
India.  There  were  obstacles  in  his  path.  But  these  did  not 
daunt  him.  He  was  opposed  and  ridiculed ;  but  he  kept 
right  on.  It  would  be  as  easy  to  turn  the  sun  from  his  course 
as  to  turn  Carey  from  the  main  purpose  of  his  life.  Livingstone 
said,  "  I  am  ready  for  any  movement,  provided  it  is  a  forward 
movement."  He  suffered  from  fever,  from  prostration,  from 
the  desertion  of  servants,  from  the  opposition  of  Arab  slave- 
traders  ;  but  he  did  not  stop.  He  saw  his  goal  and  kept  on, 
and  on,  and  on,  till  his  strength  was  exhausted.  He  saw  no 
church  planted ;  he  did  not  see  the  slave-trade  abolished  or 
even  checked  :  that  did  not  matter.     Others  have  not  gone 


124  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

out  as  workers  into  the  regions  beyond,  but  they  have  lived  to 
support  those  who  did  go.  They  felt  that  they  could  make 
money  and  be  more  useful  at  home  than  on  the  field.  This 
was  the  great  purpose  of  their  lives,  and  everything  else  was 
subordinate  to  it.  There  are  preachers  and  teachers  and 
bankers  and  mechanics  and  servants  whose  leading  thought  is 
about  the  salvation  of  the  world.  This  is  their  ruling  passion. 
Their  first  prayer  when  they  awake  in  the  morning  and  their 
last  prayer  when  they  lie  down  at  night  is  that  all  the  ends  of 
the  earth  may  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

The  second  saying  of  Paul  to  be  considered  is  this,  *'  I  am 
debtor  both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  Barbarians,  both  to  the 
wise  and  to  the  foolish."  He  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
gospel  had  been  given  him  in  trust  for  the  unsaved.  So  he 
said,  ''  But  as  we  were  allowed  of  God  to  be  put  in  trust  with 
the  gospel,  even  so  we  speak,  not  as  pleasing  men,  but  God, 
who  trieth  our  hearts."  As  soon  as  he  became  a  disciple  of 
Christ,  he  felt  called  upon  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  that 
they  might  turn  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God.  He  said,  *' Necessity  is  laid  upon  me;  yea, 
woe  is  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel."  In  seeking  to  fill  the 
world  with  the  knowledge  of  Christ  he  was  only  doing  his 
duty.  He  was  acting  as  a  steward  of  the  manifold  grace  of 
God.  Some  would  not  receive  his  message.  Some  drove  him 
out  of  their  coasts.  Some  plotted  to  take  his  life.  What 
then  ?  Did  that  end  his  obligation  ?  By  no  means.  It  was  his 
business  to  proclaim  the  truth,  whether  the  people  would  hear, 
or  whether  they  would  forbear.  If  he  were  chased  out  of  one 
city  he  would  hurry  on  to  the  next.  If  his  own  people  would 
not  hear  him  he  would  go  to  the  heathen.  In  one  place  he 
said  to  them,  "  It  was  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should 
be  spoken  first  to  you ;  but  seeing  you  put  it  from  you  and 
judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  eternal  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the 
Gentiles ;  for  so  hath  God  commanded,  saying,  *  I  have  set 
thee  for  a  light  to  the  nations,  that  thou  shouldest  be  for  My 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions         125 

salvation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. '  ' '  Paul  urged  the  believers 
not  to  defraud,  not  to  purloin,  but  to  show  all  good  fidelity ;  to 
provide  things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men  ;  to  owe  no  man 
anything.  The  honesty  which  he  inculcated  he  exemplified  in 
his  own  life.  He  was  in  debt  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the 
Barbarians,  to  the  wise  and  to  the  foolish.  As  an  honest  man 
he  sought  to  pay  that  debt.  It  was  not  a  matter  of  sentiment 
or  of  sympathy,  but  a  matter  of  duty.  It  was  a  just  claim  and 
as  an  honest  man  there  was  only  one  course  for  him  to  pursue. 
He  traveled  far  and  wide  and  preached  the  gospel  in  the 
principal  cities  of  the  Empire.  If  the  churches  contributed  to 
defray  his  expenses,  he  was  thankful.  If  they  did  not,  he 
worked  with  his  own  hands  and  supplied  his  own  needs.  His 
duty  was  to  help  Christ  evangelize  the  world,  and  he  did  that 
in  season  and  out  of  season  till  he  sealed  his  testimony  with  his 
blood. 

Others  have  felt  and  acted  in  the  same  way.  Andrew  found 
his  own  brother  Simon  and  brought  him  to  Jesus.  That  was 
his  first  impulse  on  discovering  the  Lord.  Philip  found 
Nathaniel  and  said,  ''  We  have  found  the  Messiah."  On  the 
day  of  Pentecost  the  Holy  Spirit  was  given.  At  once  the 
apostles  began  to  preach.  The  authorities  soon  began  to  object. 
The  apostles  said,  <*  We  cannot  but  speak  the  things  we  have 
seen  and  heard."  The  truth  was  like  a  fire  shut  up  in  their 
bones,  and  they  could  not  but  speak.  There  are  those  in  our 
own  times  who  have  felt  as  Paul  did.  They  realize  that  they 
are  under  obligation  to  obey  the  last  command  of  the  risen 
Christ.  They  are  willing  to  go  anywhere.  The  Moravians 
recognized  that  they  were  debtors  to  all  who  had  not  the  gospel. 
They  went  to  Greenland,  to  Labrador,  to  the  West  Indies,  to 
the  South  Seas ;  they  were  willing  to  sell  themselves  as  slaves, 
or  to  be  shut  in  with  lepers  that  they  might  have  the  privilege 
of  preaching  Christ  to  them.  A  business  man  said,  "  If  I  can- 
not go  I  can  send — and  a  better  man  than  myself  at  that."  For 
some  time  he  has  been  paying  all  the  expenses  of  a  foreign 


126  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

missionary.  He  receives  letters  from  him  from  time  to  time, 
and  follows  his  work  with  the  greatest  interest  and  delight. 
Nothing  could  induce  him  to  surrender  the  joy  of  this  service. 
If  he  is  prospered  he  expects  to  undertake  the  support  of  two 
Japanese  evangelists.  There  are  men  and  women  who  live  in 
smaller  houses,  and  wear  plainer  clothing,  that  they  may  pay 
what  they  owe.  They  talk  about  this  work ;  they  pray  for  it ; 
they  take  a  personal  and  passionate  and  perennial  interest  in  it. 
They  feel  about  it  as  the  Psalmist  did  about  Jerusalem,  "  If  I 
forget  thee,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning;  let  my 
tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  if  I  prefer  thee  not  above 
my  chief  joy." 

The  third  statement  to  be  considered  is  this,  "  I  am  ready  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  you  also  that  are  in  Rome."  He  had 
preached  in  other  cities ;  he  held  himself  in  readiness  to  preach 
in  the  capital  of  the  Empire.  He  was  ready  to  preach  any- 
where and  everywhere.  Paul  was  a  ready  man.  He  was 
ready  not  only  to  be  bound,  but  to  die  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  He 
was  ready  for  service  and  for  sacrifice  as  the  Lord  might  choose. 
When  the  Lord  Jesus  met  him  in  the  way  to  Damascus  he  asked 
Him,  *'  What  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  He  did  not  stop  to 
confer  with  flesh  and  blood.  That  was  his  question  ever  after. 
His  will  was  pliant  and  submissive  to  the  will  of  Christ.  There 
was  no  desire  to  evade  duty ;  he  was  ever  on  the  alert ;  he 
watched  for  opportunities.  In  Rome  though  he  was  chained  to 
a  soldier  he  preached  the  kingdom  of  God  in  his  own  hired 
house  with  all  boldness. 

David  had  it  in  his  heart  to  build  a  house  for  the  Lord.  He 
was  ready  and  eager  to  do  it.  The  Lord  told  him  that  his  son 
and  successor  would  do  that.  Forbidden  to  build,  David 
collected  a  great  store  of  materials.  He  did  what  he  could. 
Henry  Martyn  went  out  to  India  and  preached  to  scornful 
civilians  and  soldiers.  On  his  arrival  he  said,  "Now  let  me 
burn  out  for  God." 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions  127 

"  No  nobler  utterance  since  the  world  began, 
From  lip  of  saint  or  martyr,  ever  ran 
Electric  through  the  sympathies  of  man." 

His  health  failing  he  was  obh'ged  to  leave  India.  On  the  way 
home  by  way  of  Persia  and  Turkey  he  argued  with  the  ablest 
Mohammedan  mollahs  and  vanquished  them.  He  died  in  a 
stable  with  a  saddle  for  a  pillow  -and  was  buried  among 
strangers.  He  was  ready,  as  was  Paul,  to  preach  the  gospel 
among  the  unevangelized.  Harriet  Newell  died  soon  after 
reaching  the  mission  field.  She  said,  "  I  have  no  regret  that  I 
left  my  native  land  for  Christ.  It  was  in  my  heart,  like  David, 
to  do  a  work  for  God,  and  my  desire  is  accepted  of  Him." 
She  was  ready  for  service  and  in  her  brief  and  bright  career 
did  all  she  was  able.  Young  McCall  said,  *'  Lord,  I  gave  my- 
self, body,  mind  and  soul,  to  Thee.  I  consecrated  my  whole 
life  and  being  to  Thy  service,  and  now,  if  it  please  Thee  to 
take  myself,  instead  of  the  work  I  would  have  done  for  Thee, 
what  is  that  to  me?  Thy  will  be  done."  Of  Samuel  John 
Mills  it  is  said  that  from  the  time  he  was  sixteen  his  heart 
glowed  with  one  passion,  to  bear  the  gospel  to  the  nations  sitting 
in  darkness.  To  a  friend  he  said,  ''Though  you  and  I  are 
very  little  beings,  we  must  not  be  satisfied  till  we  have  made 
our  influence  felt  in  the  remotest  part  of  this  ruined  world." 
He  died  in  his  youth,  and  did  not  preach  in  the  regions  beyond. 
But  he  was  ready.  The  American  Board  and  the  American 
Bible  Society  are  among  the  precious  fruits  of  his  life  and 
teaching. 

Mackay  of  Uganda  was  ready  to  preach  Christ  among  the 
degraded  and  demonized  tribes  of  Central  Africa.  Some 
pitied  him.  They  spoke  of  the  sacrifice  he  was  making.  He 
did  not  count  it  a  sacrifice  to  be  a  pioneer  of  Christ  and  civiliza- 
tion. He  said,  "  I  would  not  exchange  places  for  the  world. 
A  powerful  race  here  is  to  be  won  for  Christ,  men  are  to 
be  brought  to  love  God  and  one  another,  and,  in  order  to  that, 
institutions  that  have  lasted  for  ages  must  be  uprooted,  wisdom 


128  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

has  to  be  implanted.  Who  would  not  give  his  life  for  such  a 
noble  work  as  that  ?  "  John  Williams  felt  the  same  in  the  South 
Seas.  He  was  ready  to  enter  every  open  door.  He  could  not 
content  himself  within  the  limits  of  a  single  reef.  He  built  a 
ship  and  carried  the  gospel  to  every  group  of  islands  within  two 
thousand  miles.  Had  he  lived  to  be  threescore  and  ten,  no 
one  can  safely  predict  how  much  farther  he  would  have  gone  in 
his  evangelistic  work. 

Alexander  Duff  was  urged  to  abandon  his  work  in  India, 
and  settle  down  as  a  minister  or  teacher  in  Scotland.  He  felt 
irritated  and  humiliated  by  such  proposals.  He  regarded  it  as 
an  insult  that  he  should  be  asked  to  retreat  from  the  forefront 
of  the  battle  into  the  easy,  and  yet  respectable,  comfort  of  the 
baggage.  So  far  as  personal  comfort  was  concerned,  he  would 
rather  be  the  occupant  of  the  poorest  hut,  with  its  homeliest 
fare,  in  the  coldest  and  wildest  and  bleakest  mountain  parish  in 
Scotland,  than  to  be  the  possessor  of  the  stateliest  palace,  with 
it  royal  appurtenances,  in  the  plains  of  Bengal.  Twice  he  was 
shipwrecked,  barely  escaping  with  his  life ;  more  than  once  he 
was  well-nigh  foundered  amid  gales  and  hurricanes  of  the  deep ; 
thrice  he  was  brought  to  the  gates  of  the  grave  by  the  noxious 
influences  of  an  unfriendly  climate.  It  was  not  because  he 
could  not  do  better  that  he  went  to  India ;  he  could  have  made 
ten  times  as  much  at  home.  He  heard  God's  call,  and  he  was 
eager  to  obey.  An  African  missionary  said,  "1  am  one  of 
those  whose  dead  bodies  fill  the  trenches  to  make  it  easier  for 
others  to  come  after  us,  and  walk  over  us,  and  take  the  citadel." 
Another  wrote,  "  I  have  lost  my  only  horse — the  gift  of  a 
friend — and  a  horse  here  is  a  fortune,  an  acquisition  beyond  our 
means.  But  though  no  longer  young,  I  am  ready  cheerfully  to 
tramp  the  burning  sand  and  deep  mud  under  this  torrid  sun, 
to  make  known,  as  far  as  I  can,  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation." 
Young  Milne  wanted  to  go  to  China.  His  appearance  was 
against  him.  He  was  asked  if  he  would  go  as  a  servant.  He 
replied  at  once,  "Yes,  sir,  most  certainly;  I  am  willing  to  be 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions  129 

anything,  so  I  can  be  in  the  work.  To  be  a  hewer  of  wood 
and  a  drawer  of  water  is  too  great  an  honour  for  me  when  the 
Lord's  house  is  buildingy 

There  are  those  who  are  ready  to  go  or  send.  A  father  and 
mother  gave  their  only  daughter  for  China.  They  said,  **  She 
is  very  precious  to  us ;  but  we  have  nothing  too  precious  to 
give  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. ' '  A  teacher  in  the  pubUc  schools, 
who  cannot  go  herself  on  account  of  frail  health,  gives  half  her 
income  and  supports  a  substitute.  These  have  the  Pauline 
spirit.  They  are  ready  to  as  much  as  in  them  lies.  Their 
feeling  is  expressed  in  the  lines, 

"  Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  a  present  far  too  small; 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine. 

Demands  my  life,  my  soul,  my  all." 

A  famous  English  regiment  has  upon  its  standard  the  word, 
*' Anywhere."  It  is  ready  for  service  in  India,  in  Afghanistan, 
in  the  Soudan,  in  Zululand,  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe. 
The  fourth  statement  that  we  shall  study  is  this,  "  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel."  The  reason  assigned  is,  "  For  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth." 
Paul  had  tasted  the  good  word  of  God  and  the  power  of  the 
world  to  come.  He  knew  by  what  the  gospel  did  for  him  what 
it  would  do  for  all  who  would  receive  its  teaching  and  walk  in 
its  light.  It  was  not  then  as  it  is  now.  Its  Author  had  re- 
cently died  on  the  cross  as  a  criminal.  His  followers  were 
spoken  of  as  the  filth  of  the  world  and  the  ofFscouring  of  all 
things.  They  were  said  to  consist  of  idiots,  infants,  silly 
women,  and  men  devoid  of  sense  and  reason.  They  were 
charged  with  the  most  shameless  crimes.  Cartoons  repre- 
sented them  as  worshipping  the  head  of  an  ass.  Tacitus 
spoke  of  the  new  faith  as  "  a  detestable  superstition."  Julian 
spoke    of   it   as    "atheism."     To  be   a   Galilean  was  to  be 


130  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

guilty  of  every  conceivable  offense.  No  further  evidence 
of  criminality  was  needed.  But  Paul  knew  that  the  gos- 
pel was  true  and  that  it  had  in  it  the  power  of  an  end- 
less life.  He  knew  that  the  risen  and  glorified  Redeemer 
was  destined  to  fill  and  control  all  things.  He  saw  in  the  far 
dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times  a  redeemed  world,  and  he 
was  not  ashamed  of  the  instrument  by  which  this  redemption 
was  effected.  Paul  knew  that  the  world  needed  the  gospel, 
and  he  rejoiced  that  he  was  counted  worthy  to  be  one  of  its 
heralds.  The  Jew  and  the  Greek  and  the  Roman  might  sneer 
and  scoff;  their  sneers  and  scoffs  could  not  affect  his  deepest 
convictions. 

We  think  of  the  gospel  after  it  has  been  bearing  fruit  for 
nearly  nineteen  centuries.  We  see  its  beneficent  influence  in 
every  sphere  of  thought  and  action.  We  see  that  its  history  is 
the  history  of  progress  and  liberty.  We  know  that  Macaulay 
spoke  the  simple  truth  when  he  said  that  it  has  promoted 
justice,  and  mercy  and  freedom,  and  arts  and  sciences,  and 
good  government,  and  domestic  happiness ;  that  it  has  struck 
the  chains  from  the  slave ;  that  it  has  mitigated  the  horrors  of 
war,  raised  women  from  slaves  and  playthings  into  companions 
and  friends ;  that  it  has  brought  comfort  to  the  sorrowing,  and 
has  brightened  the  great  mystery  of  the  grave.  We  agree 
with  him  that  to  oppose  such  a  faith  is  to  commit  high  treason 
against  humanity  and  civilization.  So  closely  is  the  gospel 
connected  with  all  social  and  moral  progress,  that  James 
Russell  Lowell  challenged  sceptics  to  find  a  place  on  the 
globe  ten  miles  square,  where  a  man  can  live  in  decency, 
comfort  and  security,  supporting  and  educating  his  children, 
unspoiled  and  unpolluted ;  a  place  where  age  is  reverenced, 
infancy  respected,  manhood  respected,  womanhood  honoured, 
and  human  Hfe  held  in  due  regard — where  the  gospel  of  Christ 
has  not  gone  and  cleared  the  way,  and  laid  the  foundations, 
and  made  decency  and  security  possible.  We  say  with  him 
that  it  is  the  gospel  that  has  made  society  possible  and  life 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions         131 

tolerable,  and  robs  death  of  its  terrors  and  the  grave  of  its 
gloom.  A  Hindu  priest  said  to  a  missionary,  '<  Sir,  please 
impart  to  me  the  secret.  What  is  it  that  makes  the  Bible  of 
yours  have  such  power  over  the  lives  of  those  who  embrace  it  ? 
Now,  it  is  only  eight  months  since  the  people  joined  you.  Be- 
fore, they  were  quarrelsome  ;  they  were  riotous ;  they  were  lazy ; 
they  were  shiftless :  and  now  see  what  a  difference  there  is  in 
them  !  They  are  active,  energetic,  laborious ;  they  never 
drink ;  they  never  quarrel.  What  is  it  that  makes  the  Bible 
have  such  power  over  the  lives  of  those  who  profess  it  ?  Our 
Vedas  have  no  such  power.  Please,  sir,  give  me  the  secret." 
The  gospel  of  Christ  will  transform  any  soul  that  will  believe. 
It  has  won  its  triumphs  on  every  field  and  from  every  rank  of 
society.  It  has  changed  heart,  and  thought,  and  character ;  it 
has  reconstructed  society. 

In  Paul's  day  the  wise  men  and  the  mighty  men  and  the 
noble  had  nothing  to  do  with  Christianity.  It  was  said  to  be 
a  religion  for  tanners,  and  tailors,  and  weavers,  and  rustics,  and 
illiterate  fellows,  for  simple  people  and  for  slaves.  The  learned 
and  the  prudent  held  aloof  from  this  mushroom  sect  that  was 
everywhere  spoken  against.  Since  then  we  have  seen  men  of 
the  greatest  ability  and  the  ripest  scholarship  among  the 
followers  of  the  Crucified  One.  We  can  point  to  such  men  as 
Origen,  Augustine,  Bernard,  Pascal,  Luther,  Calvin,  Knox, 
Cromwell,  Milton,  Washington,  William  the  Silent,  Words- 
worth, Johnson,  Moffat,  Livingstone,  Heber,  Herschell,  Glad- 
stone, Bright,  Tennyson,  Faraday,  Hugh  Miller,  Chalmers, 
Shaftesbury,  and  to  such  eminent  women  as  Florence  Nightin- 
gale, Elizabeth  Fry,  Mrs.  Browning  and  Frances  Willard.  We 
see  that  the  gospel  produces  great  men  and  noble  women,  and 
that  it  is  the  mainspring  of  all  the  reformatory  movements  of 
the  age.  It  makes  provision  for  the  wounded,  the  sick,  the 
helpless,  the  insane,  the  aged,  the  orphaned,  the  lapsed.  Paul 
did  not  see  what  we  see,  but  he  knew  that  the  gospel  was  God's 
power  to  save  men  from  sin,  and  he  was  not  ashamed  of  it  in 


132  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Athens,  the  cradle  and  seat  of  learning,  or  in  Rome,  the  centre 
and  mistress  of  the  world. 

The  last  sentence  that  we  shall  consider  at  this  time  is  this, 
**  Making  it  my  aim  so  to  preach  the  gospel,  not  where  Christ 
was  already  named,  that  I  might  not  build  upon  another  man's 
foundations ;  but,  as  it  is  written,  *  They  shall  see  to  whom  no 
tidings  of  Him  came,  and  they  who  have  not  heard  shall  under- 
stand. '  ' '  Such  was  Paul's  ambition.  Evermore  he  was  seeking 
to  invade  new  territory,  and  to  set  up  his  banner  there  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  Jesus  Christ  tasted  death  for  every  man  ; 
He  gave  Himself  a  ransom  for  all.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is 
therefore  for  all  men  everywhere.  It  must  run  to  and  fro  and 
fill  the  whole  earth.  The  Romans  would  have  been  willing  to 
give  Christ  a  place  in  the  Pantheon.  They  were  hospitable  to 
every  faith.  The  Hindus  would  be  willing  to  accept  Jesus  as 
a  new  manifestation  of  Buddha.  But  the  gospel  is  not  one  of 
many  faiths.  It  makes  its  way  by  conquest  and  not  by  com- 
promise. Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  of  all,  or  He  is  not  Lord  at  all. 
He  is  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords.  On  His  head  are 
many  diadems.  Christianity  is  a  universal  faith  ;  it  is  not  to 
be  confined  to  any  tribe  or  nation.  This  thought  is  set  forth 
in  the  great  commission.  "Ye  shall  be  My  witnesses,  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  utter- 
most part  of  the  earth."  The  apostles  began  preaching  in 
Jerusalem.  In  a  little  time  Samaria  was  reached.  Soon 
Antioch  and  Cyprus  and  Cyrene  were  evangelized.  Paul 
could  speak  of  the  gospel  as  bearing  fruit  in  all  the  world. 
Men  and  women  went  out  in  all  directions  and  told  the  good 
news. 

In  after  ages  we  see  the  same  aggressive  spirit.  It  took  a 
thousand  years  to  convert  Europe.  The  good  work  went  on 
all  the  while.  There  were  some  periods  in  which  more  work 
was  done  than  in  others,  but  the  work  never  ceased.  From 
Pentecost  till  the  present  hour  the  effort  to  carry  the  gospel  to 
every  kindred  and  tongue  and  trib§  and  people  has  been  con- 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions         133 

tinuous.  There  has  been  no  peace  and  no  truce  with  the  powers 
of  darkness.  This  world  belongs  by  right  to  our  Lord,  and  He 
shall  have  it.  Those  who  have  His  spirit  cannot  rest  while 
there  is  one  nation  or  one  soul  unevangelized.  It  is  the  spirit 
of  Christ  that  has  generated  all  the  missionary  activity  of  the 
ages.  The  soul  that  is  Christ's  must  help  Him  seek  and  save 
the  lost.  Paul  said,  "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  lives  in  me." 
That  was  the  secret  of  his  missionary  enthusiasm  and  service. 
Christ  used  Paul's  heart  and  brain  and  hands  and  feet  and 
tongue.  That  was  the  reason  his  spirit  found  no  rest.  Christ 
was  in  him,  and  Christ  wanted  all  nations  to  hear  the  truth. 
So,  if  Christ  is  in  us,  we  will  be  missionary.  If  Christ  is  in 
any  church,  molding  its  thought  and  shaping  its  conduct,  that 
church  cannot  but  be  missionary.  If  we  could  measure  the 
missionary  spirit  in  any  church  at  any  given  time,  we  could 
tell  how  much  of  spiritual  life  and  power  the  church  had  at 
that  time.  A  church  that  is  cold  or  lukewarm  will  not  be 
missionary ;  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be.  But  a  church 
that  reproduces  the  life  of  Christ  must  be  missionary.  Chris- 
tianity must  be  aggressive  and  world-embracing  or  it  will  perish. 
It  is  an  old  maxim  in  military  matters,  that  an  army  that  re- 
mains in  its  trenches  is  beaten  in  advance.  Churches  have  tried 
that,  and  have  died  of  heart  failure.  If  a  church  is  self-con- 
tained, like  the  Dead  Sea,  which  always  receives  and  gives 
forth  nothing,  it  degenerates  into  a  social  club,  and  ceases  to  be 
a  church  of  Christ  in  any  true  sense. 

Paul's  attitude  towards  missions  should  be  ours.  The 
evangelization  of  the  world  should  be  our  first  concern  ;  it 
should  be  the  dominant  purpose  in  our  lives.  It  should  colour 
all  our  thoughts,  and  regulate  all  our  expenditures,  and  deter- 
mine how  we  shall  use  our  lives.  We  should  recognize  our 
indebtedness  to  all  who  are  without  a  knowledge  of  God  and  of 
Jesus  Christ.  We  are  not  to  consume  all  we  have  upon  our- 
selves and  to  think  solely  of  our  own  salvation.  A  man  wrote 
to  the  mission  rooms  and  said,  "We  are  not  fools;  we  know 


134  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

how  to  keep  our  money."  Our  Lord  called  a  man  a  fool  who 
did  that  very  thing.  He  said,  "  Soul,  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry. ' '  Some  contract  [debts  to  gratify  the 
lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  and 
use  these  debts  as  an  excuse  for  not  doing  anything  to  evangel- 
ize the  world.  They  say,  **  We  must  be  just  before  we  can  be 
generous."  In  contracting  these  debts  they  overlooked  the 
prior  claims  of  God  and  of  humanity.  As  honest  men  we  are 
bound  to  pay  what  we  owe.  Sometimes  a  bank  clerk  uses  for 
himself  money  belonging  to  the  bank.  With  our  Anglo-Saxon 
notions  of  honesty  we  know  how  to  designate  such  conduct. 
The  bank  clerk  who  uses  money  of  the  bank  for  himself  is  do- 
ing no  worse  than  the  Christian  man  who  uses  the  Lord's 
money  to  gratify  his  appetite  and  taste  while  his  just  debts  re- 
main unpaid.  If  our  mental  attitude  towards  this  cause  is  the 
same  as  Paul's  we  will  be  ready  to  go  in  person  or  by  our 
prayers  and  means  to  make  Christ  known  to  those  who  know 
Him  not.  We  will  not  be  disposed  to  make  any  excuse.  We 
will  not  say  it  costs  a  dollar  to  send  a  dollar  to  the  field,  and 
therefore  we  will  give  nothing.  We  will  not  say  there  are 
no  results  to  justify  this  expenditure,  and  therefore  we  will 
withhold  our  money.  We  will  do  all  in  our  power  that  the 
eternal  purpose  of  our  God  may  be  accomplished.  If  we  have 
the  spirit  of  Paul  in  us  we  will  not  be  ashamed  of  the  gospel. 
It  can  change  any  life  and  any  nation.  It  can  lift  the  poor 
from  the  dust,  and  the  needy  from  the  dunghill,  and  set  them 
among  the  princes  of  the  people.  What  it  has  done  for  the 
great  English-speaking  people,  it  can  do  for  all  peoples.  It  is 
not  one  of  the  ethnic  faiths  and  on  a  par  with  them.  Christ  is 
not  to  be  classed  with  Moses  and  Zoroaster  and  Buddha  and 
Confucius  and  Laotsze  and  Socrates  and  Mohammed.  He  is  the 
holiest  among  the  mighty,  and  the  mightiest  among  the  holy. 
He  is  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Father.  As  we  review  the 
progress  and  magnificent  triumphs  of  the  gospel  we  will  glory 
in  it.     Finally,  as  the  followers  of  Christ  and  filled  with  His 


Paul's  Attitude  Towards  Missions         135 

spirit  we  will  go  out  into  the  regions  beyond  and  win  the  people 
there  to  the  belief  and  obedience  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
We  will  be  content  with  nothing  less  than  world-wide  conquest. 
If  we  should  think  of  our  own  delight  simply,  if  we  should  eat 
the  fat,  and  drink  the  sweet,  and  send  no  portions  to  those  for 
whom  nothing  has  been  prepared,  we  shall  fail  in  the  attempt, 
and  our  very  blessings  will  be  cursed.  If  we  feel  about  this 
work  as  Paul  did,  happy  are  we,  for  the  spirit  of  glory  and  of 
God  rests  upon  us. 


XII 

THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  MODEL  CHURCH 
I  Thess.  i:  i-io 

THERE  is  one  church  that  is  spoken  of  in  the  New 
Testament  as  a  model  church.  In  the  seventh  verse 
of  this  chapter  the  apostle  says,  "  Ye  became  an  en- 
sample  to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia  and  in  Achaia."  The 
Greek  word  translated  "  ensample  "  is  sometimes  translated 
pattern  or  model.  When  Moses  was  about  to  build  the  tent  of 
meeting,  he  was  told  to  make  all  things  according  to  the  pat- 
tern or  model  showed  him  in  the  mount.  Writing  to  the 
church  in  Thessalonica,  Paul  says,  ^'  For  what  is  our  hope,  or 
joy,  or  crown  of  glorying?  Are  not  even  ye,  before  our  Lord 
Jesus  at  His  coming?  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  our  joy." 
Again  he  says,  ''We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all, 
making  mention  of  you  in  our  prayers ;  remembering  without 
ceasing  your  work  of  faith  and  labour  of  love  and  patience  of 
hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  before  our  God  and  Father." 
And  once  more,  "  Being  affectionately  desirous  of  you,  we  were 
well  pleased  to  impart  to  you,  not  the  gospel  of  God  only,  but 
also  our  own  souls,  because  ye  were  become  very  dear  unto 
us."  There  must  have  been  something  very  unusual  about 
this  church  to  call  forth  such  encomiums  from  this  divinely- 
inspired  man.  We  know  he  was  not  indulging  in  flattery ;  he 
says  he  was  not.  He  was  speaking  words  of  truth  and  sober- 
ness. As  we  study  what  is  written  about  this  church  we  are 
impressed  — 

I.     With  the  thought  that  it  was  made  up  of  people  who  had 
received  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.     Paul  says,  "  And  for  this 

136 


The  New  Testament  Model  Church        137 

cause  we  also  thank  God  without  ceasing,  that,  when  ye 
received  from  us  the  word  of  the  message,  even  the  word  of 
God,  ye  accepted  //  not  as  the  word  of  men,  but,  as  it  is  in 
truth,  the  word  of  God,  which  also  worketh  in  you  that 
believe."  They  did  not  listen  to  some  cunningly  devised 
fable,  but  to  the  word  of  truth,  the  gospel  of  their  salvation. 
By  this  gospel  they  were  radically  changed  in  heart,  in 
thought,  in  character,  and  in  conduct.  They  turned  to  God 
from  idols  to  serve  a  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait  for  His 
Son  from  heaven,  whom  He  raised  from  the  dead,  even  Jesus, 
who  delivereth  us  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

In  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  The  Acts  we  are  told  of  the 
founding  of  this  church.  On  being  driven  out  from  Philippi, 
Paul  and  Silas  passed  through  Amphipolis  and  Apollonia  and 
came  to  Thessalonica.  There,  as  his  custom  was,  Paul  went 
into  the  synagogue  and  showed  from  the  Scriptures  that  the 
Christ  must  suffer  and  rise  from  the  dead,  and  alleged  that  the 
Jesus  he  preached  was  the  Christ.  ''And  some  of  them  were 
persuaded,  and  consorted  with  Paul  and  Silas ;  and  of  the  de- 
vout Greeks  a  great  multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a 
few."  The  Thessalonian  Christians  had  been  begotten  again, 
not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  through  the  word 
of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth. 

11.  This  church  adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  its  Saviour. 
So  we  read,  "Ye  became  imitators  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord." 
They  had  the  mind  of  the  Master.  They  reproduced  His 
life.  They  walked  in  His  steps  and  manifested  His  Spirit. 
They  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  teaching  and 
fellowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the  prayers.  Their 
lives  were  in  harmony  with  the  gospel  which  they  professed  to 
accept  as  their  sole  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

To  be  sure,  the  Thessalonians  were  not  perfect.  They  had 
not  attained,  but  they  were  following  after,  if  that  they  might 
apprehend  that  for  which  they  had  been  apprehended  of  Christ 
Jesus.     While  exhorting  them  to  do  better,  the  apostle  admits 


138  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

that  they  were  doing  remarkably  well.  *'  We  beseech  and 
exhort  you  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  that,  as  ye  received  of  us 
how  ye  ought  to  walk  and  to  please  God,  even  as  ye  do  walk, 
— that  ye  abound  more  and  more."  The  word  "abound"  is 
one  of  the  great  words  of  the  New  Testament.  It  signifies 
enough,  and  more  than  enough,  even  a  surplus.  The  conduct 
of  this  church  was  such  as  to  please  God.  The  apostle  con- 
cedes this  and  praises  them  for  it.  But  he  would  have  them 
unsatisfied  with  any  attainments  or  achievements,  however 
great.  He  would  have  them  do  better  thence  again,  and  bet- 
ter still,  in  infinite  progression.  They  were  to  be  content  with 
nothing  less  than  perfection.  Again,  "  But  concerning  love  of 
the  brethren  ye  have  no  need  that  one  write  unto  you  ]  for  ye 
yourselves  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another ;  for  indeed 
ye  do  it  towards  all  the  brethren  that  are  in  all  Macedonia. 
But  we  exhort  you,  brethren,  that  ye  abound  more  and  more." 
There  were  no  cliques  or  parties  in  that  church.  No  class 
distinctions  had  as  yet  appeared.  The  members  had  the 
same  earnest  care  each  for  the  other.  Their  faith  grew 
exceedingly,  and  the  love  of  each  one  towards  one  another 
abounded.  Paul  admits  this  and  glories  in  it.  But  he  would 
have  them  love  each  the  other  a  little  more  than  they  had  ever 
done.  His  thought  was  the  same  as  that  expressed  by  John, 
"  Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another  :  for  love  is  of  God ;  for  every 
one  that  loveth  is  begotten  of  God,  and  knoweth  God.  He 
that  loveth  not,  knoweth  not  God;  for  God  is  love."  And 
again,  "Wherefore  exhort  one  another,  and  build  each  other 
up,  even  as  also  ye  do."  This  church  was  left  in  its  infancy 
without  any  competent  oversight.  In  the  absence  of  a  settled 
ministry  each  one  was  to  exhort  the  other  and  to  build  the 
other  up  on  his  most  holy  faith.  They  were  doing  that. 
Very  good.  But  keep  right  on.  Let  no  one  think  exclusively 
of  his  own  things,  but  let  each  one  think  also  of  the  things  of 
others.  In  this  they  would  fulfill  the  royal  law  and  would  do 
well. 


The  New  Testament  Model  Church        139 

We  are  not  to  think  that  this  church  had  no  trials  or  opposi- 
tion. We  are  told  that  they  ''  received  the  word  in  much 
affliction."  When  the  Jews  saw  the  triumphs  the  gospel  was 
winning  they  took  unto  them  certain  vile  fellows  of  the  rabble, 
and  gathering  a  crowd,  set  the  city  on  an  uproar  ;  and  assault- 
ing the  house  of  Jason  sought  to  bring  the  apostles  forth  to  the 
people.  And  when  they  found  them  not,  they  dragged  Jason 
and  certain  brethren  before  the  rulers  of  the  city,  crying, 
"  These  that  have  turned  the  world  upside  down  are  come 
hither  also ;  whom  Jason  hath  received  :  and  these  all  act  con- 
trary to  the  decrees  of  Caesar,  saying  that  there  is  another  king, 
one  Jesus."  So  high  did  the  feeling  run  that  it  was  deemed 
prudent  to  send  Paul  and  Silas  away  by  night  to  Beroea.  The 
leaders  having  escaped,  the  church  had  to  bear  all  that  Jewish 
jealousy  and  malice  could  inflict.  The  record  shows  that  they 
were  not  daunted  in  the  least.  They  had  no  thought  of  deny- 
ing their  Lord  and  going  back  to  the  old  faiths  which  they  had 
renounced.  So  steadfast  were  they  in  their  allegiance  to 
Christ,  that  the  apostle  said,  *'  We  ourselves  glory  in  you  in 
the  churches  of  God  for  your  patience  and  faith  in  all  your 
persecutions  and  in  all  the  afflictions  which  ye  endure."  He 
speaks  not  only  of  their  faith  and  patience  and  endurance,  but 
also  of  their  joy  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  They  rejoiced  that  they 
were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
They  took  joyfully  the  spoiHng  of  their  goods. 

III.  This  is  a  missionary  church.  Thus  we  read,  "  For 
from  you  hath  sounded  forth  the  word  of  the  Lord,  not  only  in 
Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  in  every  place  your  faith  to 
Godward  is  gone  forth;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak 
anything."  The  expression  <*  sounded  forth"  signifies  as 
through  a  trumpet.  The  truth  was  not  whispered  in  a  corner, 
or  spoken  with  bated  breath  behind  closed  doors.  It  was 
sounded  out  from  the  house  tops.  The  notes  in  which  it  found 
expression  were  clear  and  loud  and  long.  They  burst  through 
the  valleys,  echoed  over  the  hills,  and  penetrated  every  hamlet 


140  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

and  homestead.  They  were  heard  all  through  that  province, 
and  all  through  the  adjoining  province,  and  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  those  provinces. 

Thessalonica  was  the  capital  of  Macedonia,  and  Corinth  was 
the  capital  of  Achaia.  People  were  coming  from  all  parts  of 
the  province  to  the  capital,  and  going  from  the  capital  to  all 
parts  of  the  province  in  turn.  Soldiers,  merchants,  tradesmen 
and  others  were  coming  and  going  all  the  time.  All  who 
spent  any  time  in  Thessalonica  heard  of  the  new  faith  and  the 
changed  and  ennobled  lives  of  its  advocates  and  champions.  A 
faith  working  such  marvellous  transformations  could  not  be  hid. 
Paul  said  it  was  unnecessary  for  him  to  say  anything.  If  such 
a  church  could  be  found  to-day  it  would  not  be  necessary  for 
any  member  of  it  to  advertise  it.  The  entire  community 
would  hear  and  know  of  it.  The  editors  of  the  great  daily 
papers  would  send  reporters  to  write  about  it.  The  whole 
world  would  be  informed  of  the  life  and  work  of  such  a 
church. 

IV.  This  was!  a  most  liberal  church.  In  the  eighth  chapter 
of  Second  Corinthians  Paul  speaks  of  the  grace  of  God  which 
had  been  given  in  the  churches  of  Macedonia.  This  was  one 
of  them.  This  was  the  second  church  founded  in  Europe,  the 
church  in  Philippi  being  the  first.  Paul  tells  us  how  that  in 
much  proof  of  affliction  the  abundance  of  their  joy  and  deep 
poverty  abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality.  "For 
according  to  their  power,  I  bear  witness,  yea  and  beyond  their 
power,  they  gave  of  their  own  accord,  beseeching  us  with  much 
entreaty  in  regard  of  this  grace  and  the  fellowship  in  the 
ministering  to  the  saints ;  and  this,  not  as  we  had  hoped,  but 
first  they  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord,  and  to  us  through 
the  will  of  God."  It  is  proper  to  say  that  this  was  not  a  rich 
church ;  it  was  a  very  poor  church.  Nevertheless  its  giving 
was  on  such  a  magnificent  scale  as  to  call  forth  this  tribute. 
The  tribute  is  all  the  more  remarkable  when  we  remember 
how  high  the  ideals  were  which  were  cherished  by  the  great 


The  New  Testament  Model  Church       141 

apostle  to  the  nations.  The  Christians  in  Thessalonica  did  not 
wait  for  an  appeal.  They  anticipated  appeals  and  brought 
their  offerings  and  laid  them  at  the  apostles'  feet  and  asked 
them  to  administer  the  same.  They  did  this  because  they  had 
first  consecrated  themselves  to  God  and  to  His  service. 
While  the  apostle  acknowledges  all  that  they  had  done,  and 
while  he  praises  them  for  it,  he  does  not  tell  them  that  they  had 
done  enough.  He  says,  **  But  as  ye  abound  in  everything,  in 
faith,  and  utterance,  and  knowledge,  and  in  all  earnestness, 
and  in  your  love  to  us,  see  that  ye  abound  in  this  grace  also." 
In  doing  so  the  sincerity  of  their  love  would  be  demonstrated. 

Here  then  is  the  New  Testament  conception  of  the  model 
church.  It  was  a  church  made  up  of  people  who  gladly  em- 
braced the  truth  when  it  was  preached  in  their  hearing ;  a 
church  that  adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  their  Saviour ;  a 
church  whose  members  conducted  themselves  so  as  to  please 
God ;  a  church  whose  members  loved  one  another  and  sought  to 
edify  one  another ;  a  Spirit-filled  church  ;  a  church  that  sounded 
out  the  truth  so  that  all  those  about  it  and  those  far  beyond  it 
heard  the  message  of  salvation ;  a  church  that  gave  so  liberally 
as  to  astonish  and  to  delight  the  large-hearted  man  who  had 
begotten  them  to  a  living  hope  through  the  gospel ;  a  church 
that  did  not  need  to  be  solicited  for  offerings,  but  gave  of  its 
own  accord  for  the  Lord's  work,  and  rejoiced  that  it  was  per- 
mitted to  do  so. 

Perhaps  it  should  be  stated  that  even  in  this  glorious  church 
there  was  a  disorderly  element.  If  it  were  not  so  we  might  be 
tempted  to  think  that  the  Thessalonians  were  made  of  different 
clay  from  the  rest  of  mankind.  I  think  the  whole  truth  is  told 
to  prevent  any  misconception  of  that  nature.  Some  were 
quarrelsome;  some  would  not  work  at  all,  but  were  busybodies; 
some  were  unstable.  Paul  urges  them  to  be  at  peace  among 
themselves.  "And  we  exhort  you,  brethren,  admonish  the 
disorderly,  encourage  the  faint-hearted,  support  the  weak,  be 
long-suffering    towards    all."     Those    that  would   not  work 


142  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

should  not  eat.  The  disorderly  and  the  busybodies  were 
commanded  and  exhorted  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  with 
quietness  they  work,  and  eat  their  own  bread.  They  were  not  to 
be  weary  in  well-doing.  They  were  not  to  render  evil  for  evil 
to  any,  but  always  to  follow  after  that  which  is  good,  one  towards 
another,  and  towards  all.  No  doubt  the  unruly  element  was  a 
small  element.  The  greater  part  lived  so  as  to  justify  the 
apostle  in  speaking  of  the  church  as  a  model. 

There  is  a  piece  of  music  entitled  **  The  Model  Church." 
One  hears  it  sung  in  public  worship.  An  aged  man  went  to 
church.  The  usher  did  not  notice  that  his  clothes  were  worn 
and  that  he  was  poor,  and  gave  him  a  front  seat.  The  choir 
sang  Coronation  so  grandly  that  the  old  man  forgot  his  age  and 
deafness  and  poverty  and  faded  clothing,  and  felt  as  a  mariner 
who  caught  sight  of  shore.  He  went  home  and  said,  "Well, 
wife,  I've  found  the  model  church,  and  worshipped  there 
to-day."  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  the  artist's  conception 
of  a  model  church,  when  compared  with  that  of  Paul,  was  a 
beggarly  one.  Paul  thought  of  a  congregation  of  redeemed 
souls  walking  in  the  light,  imitating  Christ  and  His  apostles, 
enduring  opposition  and  persecution  joyfully,  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  living  so  as  to  please  God,  walking  in  love,  each 
helping  the  other ;  a  missionary  church  sounding  out  the  in- 
vitation of  mercy  as  through  a  trumpet ;  a  church  so  liberal  that 
it  gave  to  the  extent  of  its  ability,  and  beyond  its  ability ;  a 
church  that  brought  its  money  and  laid  it  on  the  Lord's  altar 
and  asked  the  apostles  to  take  upon  them  the  administering  of 
their  bounty. 

Suppose  each  and  every  one  of  the  churches  in  our  fellowship 
measured  up  to  this  standard,  what  would  be  the  result  ?  we 
would  be  able  to  do  anything  and  everything  that  the  Lord  wants 
us  to  do  in  His  name.  Why  should  not  the  churches  of  to-day 
be  equal  in  all  respects  and  superior  to  the  church  in  Thessa- 
lonica  ?  We  live  in  far  more  propitious  times.  Our  advantages 
are  much  greater.     That  church  was  founded  in  a  series  of 


The  New  Testament  Model  Church        143 

meetings  that  lasted  only  three  weeks.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
its  founders  were  driven  away  by  persecution.  The  young 
church  was  left  to  its  own  resources.  In  our  day  persecution 
is  unknown.  We  have  an  open  Bible  and  helpful  ministries  of 
all  kinds.  By  taking  advantage  of  our  privileges  and  auxiliaries 
we  can  do  all  and  be  all  and  more  than  the  church  in  Thessa- 
lonica.  The  Lord  help  us  to  study  His  word,  that  we  may  do 
His  will,  and  come  to  be  ensamples  to  all  with  whom  we  have 
to  do. 


XIII 

TWO  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCHES 

Acts  2  :  41-47;  11:   20-24;   13:    1-3 

LET  us  study  some  features  of  two  apostolic  churches, 
the  church  in  Jerusalem  and  the  church  in  Antioch. 
These  were  the  most  influential  churches  in  the  first 
period  of  our  era.  The  church  in  Jerusalem  was  the  first 
church  established  and  was  the  mother  of  all  Jewish  Christians. 
The  church  in  Antioch  was  the  mother  and  metropolis  of  Gentile 
Christendom.  No  other  churches,  no  matter  how  great  their 
membership  or  their  wealth  or  their  service,  can  ever  take  the 
place  of  these  two.     Let  us  consider  — 

I.  The  founding  of  these  churches.  The  church  in  Jeru- 
salem dates  its  origin  from  the  first  Pentecost  after  the  death 
and  resurrection  and  ascension  of  our  Lord.  He  charged  His 
disciples  not  to  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but  to  wait  for  the 
promise  of  the  Father,  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  When 
the  day  of  Pentecost  came  the  disciples  were  all  together  in 
one  place,  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance.  When  the  multitude  came  together  Peter  preached 
the  first  sermon  of  the  new  dispensation.  The  conclusion  of 
his  sermon  was  that  God  had  made  Jesus  the  crucified  both 
Lord  and  Christ.  Many  of  those  that  heard  were  pricked  in 
their  heart,  and  asked  what  they  should  do.  The  answer  was, 
*'  Repent  ye,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  unto  the  remission  of  your  sins  \  and  ye  shall  re- 
ceive the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For  to  you  is  the  promise, 
and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many 

144 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  145 

as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call  unto  Him."  With  many  other 
words  he  testified  and  exhorted  them,  saying,  *'  Save  your- 
selves from  this  crooked  generation."  They  then  that  re- 
ceived His  word  were  baptized  :  and  there  were  added  to  them 
in  that  day  about  three  thousand  souls.  Thus  the  first  church 
was  planted.  Peter  was  the  chief  spokesman,  but  all  the 
apostles  were  present.  The  gospel  was  preached ;  a  large 
number  heard,  believed,  repented,  and  were  baptized  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ.  All  that  was  said  and  done  that  day 
was  said  and  done  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

We  do  not  know  the  names  of  the  men  who  established  the 
church  in  Antioch.  We  know  they  were  from  Cyprus  and 
Cyrene.  They  were  Hellenistic  Jews  and  therefore  were 
naturally  more  liberal  than  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  They  were 
among  those  who  were  scattered  abroad  upon  the  tribulation 
that  arose  about  Stephen.  They  had  been  speaking  to  Jews 
only,  but  when  they  came  to  Antioch  they  spoke  to  the  Greeks 
also,  preaching  the  Lord  Jesus.  **  And  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  with  them,  and  a  great  number  that  believed  turned  to  the 
Lord."  A  little  time  before  that  Peter  had  preached  to  Corne- 
lius and  his  family  in  Caesarea.  While  he  was  yet  speaking  the 
Holy  Spirit  fell  on  them  that  heard  the  word.  Cornelius  and 
his  household  spoke  with  tongues  and  magnified  God.  Seeing 
this  Peter  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.  When  the  church  in  Jerusalem  heard  these 
things  and  Peter's  explanation  they  glorified  God,  saying, 
"Then  to  the  Gentiles  also  hath  God  granted  repentance  unto 
life."  Prior  to  this  time  the  gospel  was  confined  to  Jews  and 
to  Jewish  proselytes.  We  are  told  that  those  who  were 
scattered  abroad  by  persecution  travelled  as  far  as  to  Phenicia 
and  Cyprus  and  Antioch,  speaking  the  word  to  none  save  only 
to  Jews.  It  is  all  but  certain  that  the  Hellenistic  Jews  who 
preached  in  Antioch  heard  of  what  had  taken  place  in  Caesarea. 
There  was  frequent  and  easy  communication  between  the  two 
places.     Learning  what  Peter  had  done,  and  the  divine  ap- 


146  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

proval  of  his  course,  and  the  ratification  of  the  same  by  the 
Jerusalem  church,  these  nameless  evangelists  were  emboldened 
to  speak  to  the  Greeks  in  Antioch.  As  a  result  this  church 
which  played  so  notable  a  part  in  the  early  years  of  Christianity 
was  founded.  No  apostle  was  present.  There  were  no  visible 
demonstrations  of  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
No  miracle  was  wrought  in  attestation  of  the  truth  spoken. 
But  a  great  number  believed  and  turned  to  the  Lord.  These 
redeemed  souls  constituted  the  church  in  Antioch.  In  both 
cases  the  believers  could  say,  "  Of  His  own  will  He  brought  us 
forth  by  the  word  of  truth,  that  we  should  be  a  kind  of  first- 
fruits  of  His  creatures."  They  were  begotten  again,  not  of 
corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorruptible,  through  the  word  of  God, 
which  liveth  and  abideth.  And  this  is  the  word  of  good  tidings 
which  was  preached  unto  them. 

II.  The  growth  of  these  churches.  It  is  said  of  the  church 
in  Jerusalem  that  the  Lord  added  to  them  day  by  day  those 
that  were  saved.  Evidently,  there  was  a  continuous  revival. 
In  view  of  the  conditions  it  could  hardly  have  been  otherwise. 
The  converts  continued  stedfastly  in  the  apostles'  teaching  and 
felowship,  in  the  breaking  of  bread  and  the  prayers.  Many 
wonders  and  signs  were  done  through  the  apostles.  The  be- 
lievers had  all  things  in  common.  Those  that  had  possessions 
and  goods  sold  them  and  parted  them  to  all,  according  as  any 
had  need.  "And  day  by  day,  continuing  stedfastly  with  one 
accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  at  home,  they  took 
their  food  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  heart,  praising  God, 
and  having  favour  with  all  the  people. ' '  Such  a  community  was  a 
new  thing  under  the  sun.  It  is  not  surprising  that  there  were 
daily  additions  to  it. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  church  encountered  opposition  and 
persecution.  The  apostles  were  apprehended  and  thrust  into 
prison.  But  the  word  of  God  was  not  bound.  The  church 
flourishes  under  persecution  as  it  cannot  under  prosperity  and 
popularity.     So  we  read  that  many  of  them  that  heard  the  word 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  147 

believed,  and  the  number  of  the  men  came  to  be  about  five 
thousand.  In  so  large  a  number  it  was  inevitable  that  some 
would  be  actuated  by  unworthy  motives.  Of  this  class  were 
Ananias  and  his  wife  Sapphira.  They  lied  to  the  Holy  Spirit 
about  the  land  they  sold,  ostensibly  for  the  common  welfare. 
After  their  death  it  is  stated  that  believers  were  the  more  added 
to  the  Lord,  multitudes  both,  of  men  and  women.  In  such  a 
congregation  it  need  surprise  no  one  that  some  friction  de- 
veloped. The  Grecian  Jews  murmured  against  the  Hebrews 
because  their  widows  were  neglected  in  the  daily  ministration. 
Seven  men  of  good  report,  full  of  the  Spirit  and  of  wisdom, 
were  appointed  over  that  business.  Then  the  murmuring 
ceased,  and  the  church  had  peace  and  prospered.  *' And  the 
word  of  God  increased ;  and  the  number  of  the  disciples  in 
Jerusalem  multiplied  exceedingly  and  a  great  company  of  the 
priests  became  obedient  to  the  faith."  The  fact  that  the  priests 
were  reached  and  won  is  significant.  Naturally  they  would 
have  been  the  last  to  accept  the  new  faith.  When  they  were 
enrolled  in  such  large  numbers  we  may  be  sure  that  the  church 
was  in  a  most  flourishing  condition. 

We  do  not  have  any  statistics  showing  the  growth  in  Antioch. 
The  information  given  is  couched  in  the  most  general  terms. 
What  is  said  is  sufficient  to  indicate  remarkable  gains  in 
numbers  and  in  influence.  I  have  already  quoted  what  is 
written  about  the  men  that  first  preached  in  that  city.  **  And 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  them :  and  a  great  number 
that  believed  turned  to  the  Lord."  When  the  church  in 
Jerusalem  heard  of  the  founding  of  this  church  they  sent 
Barnabas  to  Antioch  to  look  into  matters  and  to  take  the  over- 
sight of  the  same.  It  is  said  of  Barnabas  that  he  was  a  good 
man,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  of  faith.  On  his  arrival 
he  saw  the  grace  of  God  and  was  glad,  and  exhorted  them  all 
that  with  purpose  of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord. 
This  pregnant  saying  follows,  "And  much  people  was  added 
to  the  Lord."     Barnabas  soon  found  the  work  too  great  for 


148  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

his  strength  and  he  went  to  Tarsus  to  seek  Saul.  These  two 
men  spent  a  whole  year  in  the  church  in  Antioch  and  taught 
much  people.  Here  for  the  first  time  it  became  apparent  that 
the  church  was  not  a  sect  of  the  Jews.  Many  of  the  members^ 
perhaps  most  of  them,  were  Gentiles.  In  Jerusalem  the  be- 
lievers continued  stedfastly  with  one  accord  in  the  temple. 
They  observed  the  Mosaic  rites  and  ceremonies.  In  Antioch 
it  was  different.  In  Antioch  there  was  no  temple.  A  vast 
number  of  the  converts  were  Greeks.  Christ  was  preached 
and  magnified,  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that  the  disciples  were 
called  Christians  first  in  Antioch.  Their  devotion  to  Christ 
separated  them  from  Judaism  and  from  Heathenism.  We  learn 
from  sources  outside  of  the  Scriptures  that  the  church  in 
Antioch  had  a  marvellous  growth.  In  Chrysostom's  day  its 
membership  numbered  one  hundred  thousand.  Antioch  was 
the  third  city  of  the  empire,  Rome  and  Alexandria  being  the 
first  and  the  second.     Half  the  population  were  Christians. 

III.  The  relation  of  these  churches  to  the  cause  of  missions. 
For  some  considerable  time  the  church  in  Jerusalem  gave  no 
thought  to  the  peoples  living  outside  that  city.  The  apostles 
were  active  in  and  about  the  temple.  We  read,  *'  And  day  by 
day,  in  the  temple  and  at  home,  they  ceased  not  to  teach  and 
to  preach  Jesus  as  the  Christ."  Their  preaching  and  healing  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth  gave  offense  to  the  rulers 
and  to  the  priests  and  to  the  scribes.  They  were  strictly 
charged  not  to  speak  at  all  nor  teach  in  the  name  of  Jesus. 
They  said  to  the  authorities,  *<  We  cannot  but  speak  the  things 
we  saw  and  heard."  When  they  were  beaten  they  rejoiced 
that  they  were  counted  worthy  to  suffer  dishonour  for  the  Name. 
We  are  informed  that  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were 
of  one  heart  and  one  soul,  and  had  all  things  in  common. 
**  And  with  great  power  gave  the  apostles  their  witness  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus  :  and  great  grace  was  upon  them 
all." 

This  was  all  very  enjoyable  and  very  beautiful ;  but  it  was 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  149 

not  in  harmony  with  the  parting  instructions  of  their  Lord. 
He  told  them  that  they  were  to  be  His  witnesses  both  in 
Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost 
part  of  the  earth.  Thus  far  they  had  confined  their  testimony 
to  Jerusalem ;  the  rest  of  their  program  was  overlooked.  The 
death  of  Stephen  marked  a  new  advance.  The  day  he  was 
stoned  there  arose  a  great  persecution  against  the  church  which 
was  in  Jerusalem,  and  they  were  all  scattered  abroad  through- 
out the  regions  of  Judea  and  Samaria,  except  the  apostles.  It 
is  proper  to  note  that  they  did  not  go  out  impelled  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  great  commission ;  they 
were  scattered  like  chaff  before  the  whirlwind  of  persecution. 
Even  then  they  did  not  go  very  far.  For  some  unknown 
reasons  the  apostles  remained  in  the  city. 

Those  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  about  preaching  the 
word.  They  confined  their  preaching  to  their  own  people. 
They  knew  that  the  Lord  had  said,  '*  Other  sheep  I  have, 
which  are  not  of  this  fold ;  them  also  I  must  bring ;  and  they 
shall  hear  My  voice,  and  there  shall  be  one  flock,  one  shep- 
herd." They  understood  His  words,  ''This  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  for  a  testimony 
to  all  the  nations."  They  heard  Him  say,  "  Thus  it  is  written, 
that  the  Christ  should  suffer,  and  rise  from  the  dead  on  the 
third  day,  and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  His  name  unto  all  the  nations."  But  they  had  no 
definite  purpose  of  giving  the  gospel  to  any  who  were  not  of  the 
seed  of  Abraham. 

Among  those  that  were  scattered  was  Philip.  He  went 
down  to  Samaria  and  proclaimed  Christ  to  the  Samaritans. 
When  they  believed  Philip  preaching  good  tidings  concerning 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were 
baptized,  both  men  and  women.  The  apostles  hearing  that 
Samaria  had  received  the  word  of  God  sent  Peter  and  John  to 
them  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy  Spirit.  After  con- 
ferring this  gift  they  returned  to  Jerusalem.     On  the  way  they 


150  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

preached  in  many  villages  of  the  Samaritans.  Philip  was 
directed  by  an  angel  of  the  Lord  to  go  towards  the  South.  As 
he  was  going  he  fell  in  with  a  man  of  Ethiopia,  an  officer  of 
great  authority  under  Queen  Candace,  a  Jewish  proselyte  who 
had  been  to  Jerusalem  to  worship.  At  his  invitation  Philip 
ascended  his  chariot  and  expounded  a  portion  of  the  prophecy 
of  Isaiah.  From  that  passage  he  preached  Christ  to  him,  and, 
at  his  request,  baptized  him.  After  this  Philip  passed  from 
Azotus  to  Caesarea  and  preached  the  gospel  to  all  the  cities  on 
the  way.  As  a  result  of  this  preaching  by  the  scattered  dis- 
ciples the  church  was  established  in  all  Judea  and  Gahlee  and 
Samaria. 

About  this  time  Peter,  as  he  passed  throughout  all  the  parts, 
came  down  to  the  saints  that  dwelt  in  Lydda.  There  he  healed 
^neas,  a  man  who  had  been  palsied  for  eight  years.  ^'  And 
all  that  dwelt  at  Lydda  and  in  Sharon  saw  him,  and  they 
turned  to  the  Lord."  From  Lydda  Peter  was  called  to  Joppa. 
Dorcas  lived  in  Joppa.  Peter  was  sent  for  in  hope  that  he 
might  restore  her  to  life.  He  did  that.  This  fact  became 
known  throughout  all  Joppa,  and  many  beHeved  on  the  name 
of  the  Lord. 

While  in  Joppa  Peter  received  a  delegation  from  Cornelius, 
a  Roman  centurion  stationed  then  in  Caesarea.  Cornelius  was 
instructed  by  an  angel  of  God  to  send  to  Joppa  for  the  apostle. 
Peter  was  not  prepared  to  go.  He  did  not  think  it  a  lawful 
thing  for  him  to  do.  It  was  necessary  for  the  Lord  to  show 
him  his  duty.  While  Peter  was  in  a  trance  the  Lord  showed 
him  a  great  sheet  let  down  from  heaven  by  the  four  corners 
upon  the  earth,  wherein  were  four-footed  beasts  and  creeping 
things  and  birds  of  the  air.  There  came  a  voice  to  him 
saying,  ''Rise,  Peter;  kill  and  eat."  But  Peter  said,  "Not 
so.  Lord  ;  for  I  have  never  eaten  anything  that  is  common  or 
unclean."  A  voice  came  the  second  time,  "  What  God  hath 
cleansed,  make  not  thou  common."  This  was  done  three 
times.     It  took  that  vision  and  the  explanatory  events  that  fol- 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  151 

lowed  to  make  the  will  of  God  clear  to  Peter.  In  his  address 
in  the  house  of  Cornelius,  Peter  said,  ''  Of  a  truth  I  perceive 
that  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,  but  in  every  nation  he 
that  feareth  Him  and  works  righteousness  is  acceptable  to 
Him." 

Peter  was  not  the  only  one  that  thought  it  unlawful  for  a  Jew  to 
join  himself  or  to  come  unto  one  of  another  nation.  There 
were  those  in  the  Jerusalem  church  who  contended  with  him 
on  his  return  from  Csesarea,  saying,  "Thou  wentest  in  to  men 
uncircumcised,  and  didst  eat  with  them."  Peter  expounded  the 
matter  unto  them  in  order.  He  told  them  how  Cornelius  had 
sent  for  him  at  the  suggestion  of  the  angel,  and  of  the  vision  he 
saw  on  the  housetop ;  he  concluded  by  telling  them  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  fell  on  that  Gentile  household  as  upon  the  Jewish 
believers  at  the  beginning,  and  asked,  "If  then  God  gave 
unto  them  the  like  gift  as  He  did  also  unto  us,  when  we 
believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  I  that  I  could  with- 
stand God  ?  ' '  The  record  says  that  when  they  heard  these 
things,  they  held  their  peace,  and  glorified  God,  saying, 
"Then  to  the  Gentiles  also  hath  God  granted  repentance  unto 
life." 

It  is  clear  from  what  followed  that  this  settlement  was  not  en- 
tirely satisfactory  to  all  concerned.  There  was  an  element  in 
the  church  that  opposed  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles  on  the 
same  terms  as  the  Jews.  When  Paul  and  Barnabas  returned 
from  the  first  missionary  tour  and  rehearsed  all  things  that  God 
had  done  with  them,  and  told  how  He  had  opened  a  door  of 
faith  to  the  Gentiles,  they  were  met  by  certain  men  from  Judea 
who  insisted  that,  unless  the  converts  from  paganism  were  cir- 
cumcised after  the  custom  of  Moses,  they  could  not  be  saved. 
The  first  church  council  was  held  to  consider  this  matter. 
The  council  decided  that  it  was  not  necessary  for  the  converts 
from  paganism  to  keep  the  Mosaic  law.  This  appeared  to  sat- 
isfy all  parties  for  the  time  being.  But  there  were  those  in  the 
church  that  were  disposed  to  contest  this  position.     They  fol- 


152  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

lowed  Paul  from  place  to  place  j  they  denied  his  apostleship ; 
they  vilified  his  name ;  they  thwarted  his  teaching ;  they  im- 
pugned his  authority  ;  they  refused  to  regard  him  and  his  con- 
verts as  brethren.  They  darkened  and  embittered  his  life  to 
the  end.  It  took  Peter  a  long  time  to  get  rid  of  his  Jewish 
prejudices  and  convictions ;  it  is  very  likely  that  he  never  was 
completely  emancipated  from  them.  For  when  he  visited 
Antioch  Paul  withstood  him  to  the  face,  because  he  stood  con- 
demned. "  For  before  that  certain  came  from  James  Peter  ate 
with  the  Gentiles;  but  when  they  came,  he  drew  back  and 
separated  himself,  fearing  those  that  were  of  the  circumcision. 
And  the  rest  of  the  Jews  dissembled  likewise  with  him ;  inso- 
much that  even  Barnabas  was  carried  away  with  their  dissimu- 
lation." The  Jew  was  the  Brahmin  of  that  time.  It  was  not 
easy  for  him  to  overcome  his  prejudices  and  to  regard  all  man- 
kind as  equals. 

It  is  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam  that  the  church  in  Jerusalem  was 
not  a  missionary  church.  It  organized  no  propaganda  in  har- 
mony with  the  great  commission.  It  sent  no  agents  out  into 
the  regions  beyond.  It  did  not  cordially  endorse  the  efforts 
that  were  put  forth  by  others  to  win  all  races  and  all  peoples  to 
Christ.  On  the  contrary,  some  members  of  that  church  main- 
tained that  the  Gentiles  must  become  Jews  and  live  as  Jews  if 
they  would  be  saved.  The  Jerusalem  church  was  acquainted 
with  those  great  words,  *'I  have  set  thee  for  a  light  to  the 
nations,  that  thou  shouldest  be  for  salvation  to  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  "  ;  and  with  those  other  words,  *<  Arise, 
shine,  for  thy  light  is  come,  and  the  glory  of  Jehovah  is  risen 
upon  thee.  And  nations  shall  come  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to 
the  brightness  of  thy  rising."  They  heard  the  words  of  the 
Lord  as  found  in  the  prophecy  of  Zephaniah,  that  "  men  should 
worship  Jehovah  every  one  from  his  place,  even  all  the  isles  of 
the  heathen."  They  remembered  the  command  given  on  the 
mountain  in  Galilee  and  later  on  Olivet  to  the  effect  that  they 
were  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  153 

whole  creation.  They  knew  what  they  had  been  taught,  but 
there  was  no  whole-hearted  acceptance  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise as  of  God.  The  Jewish  church  put  forth  no  efforts  to 
reach  all  naankind  with  the  gospel  of  salvation. 

The  church  in  Antioch  being  made  up  largely  of  Gentiles 
was  free  from  race  pride  and  from  the  exclusiveness  that  such 
pride  engenders.  Their  sympathies  went  out  beyond  them- 
selves from  the  very  beginning.  They  heard  of  the  famine 
predicted  by  Agabus  and  they  determined  every  man  according 
to  ability  to  send  relief  unto  the  brethren  in  Judea:  ''which  also 
they  did,  sending  it  to  the  elders  by  the  hands  of  Barnabas  and 
Saul."  When  these  men  had  fulfilled  this  ministration  they 
returned  from  Jerusalem.  ''  Now  there  were  at  Antioch,  in  the 
church  that  was  there,  prophets  and  teachers,  Barnabas,  and 
Symeon  that  was  called  Niger,  and  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  and 
Manaen  the  foster-brother  of  Herod,  and  Saul.  And  as  they 
ministered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Spirit  said,  *  Sepa- 
rate Me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
called  them.'  Then,  when  they  had  fasted  and  prayed  and  laid 
their  hands  on  them,  they  sent  them  away."  We  are  not  told 
what  it  was  that  these  men  had  on  their  hearts  at  the  time. 
But  it  is  probable  that  they  were  praying  for  guidance  and  as- 
sistance in  relation  to  the  work  of  giving  the  gospel  to  the  Christ- 
less  nations  around  them.  The  revelation  of  the  Spirit  at  that 
time  would  seem  to  indicate  this.  It  has  been  finely  said  that 
when  a  people  are  ready  to  do  the  will  of  God  from  the  heart, 
they  will  soon  hear  a  voice  behind  them  saying,  ''  This  is  the 
way,  walk  ye  in  it."  The  command  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  in  all 
likelihood  a  direct  answer  to  the  deepest  prayer  of  their  hearts. 
They  had  themselves  tasted  of  the  good  word  of  God  and  the 
power  of  the  world  to  come ;  they  had  been  made  partakers  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  they  wanted  all  others  to  share  with  them 
in  the  glorious  blessings  of  redemption.  They  were  desirous 
that  all  others  would  abstain  from  eating  '<  the  poisoned  grapes 
of  Heathendom  and  should  pluck  the  fair  fruits  which  grow 


154  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

upon  the  Tree  of  Life  in  the  Paradise  of  God."  The  church 
was  ready  to  act ;  Barnabas  and  Saul  were  ready  to  go.  There 
is  no  intimation  that  any  one  suspected  that  the  course  proposed 
was  either  unlawful  or  improper. 

It  was  from  Antioch  that  Barnabas  and  Saul  started  on  the 
first  missionary  tour;  it  was  to  Antioch  they  returned  and 
rehearsed  all  the  things  that  the  Lord  had  done  with  them.  It 
was  from  Antioch  that  Paul  and  Silas  started  on  the  second 
missionary  tour  ;  and  it  was  to  Antioch  that  they  returned.  It 
was  from  Antioch  that  Paul  started  on  his  third  tour.  Antioch 
has  the  distinction  that  it  was  the  birthplace  of  foreign  mis- 
sions. Palos  shall  always  have  the  honour  of  being  the  port 
from  which  Columbus  started  on  the  voyage  which  culminated 
in  the  discovery  of  a  new  world.  Antioch  shall  always  be 
famous  as  the  place  where  foreign  missions  had  their  inception 
and  the  place  from  which  foreign  missions  were  conducted  in 
the  apostolic  age. 

The  church  in  Jerusalem  was  the  first  church  founded.  The 
twelve  apostles  lived  in  that  city  for  a  dozen  years  after  the 
ascension.  It  was  foretold  by  Isaiah  that  the  law  should  go 
forth  from  Zion  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  One 
would  naturally  expect  that  would  be  the  centre  of  all  Christian 
effort.  But  it  was  not  so.  The  church  in  Jerusalem  never 
understood  the  genius  and  never  grasped  the  spirit  of  the  great 
commission,  and  never  sought  to  go  out  into  all  the  world  to 
win  all  people.  That  honour  was  reserved  for  the  church  in 
Antioch  ;  because  Antioch  was  not  fettered  by  national  prej- 
udices ;  and  because  Antioch  therefore  was  a  better  agent  for 
the  accomplishment  of  God's  gracious  purpose.  For  these 
reasons  Antioch  eclipsed  the  Holy  City  as  a  centre  and  strong- 
hold of  the  faith.  Jerusalem  lost  her  primacy ;  Antioch  took 
her  rightful  place  and  her  crown. 

There  is  here  a  great  lesson  for  us.  Other  things  being 
equal,  a  missionary  church  will  always  be  more  prosperous  than 
a  non-missionary  church.     A  missionary  church  is  in  line  with 


Two  New  Testament  Churches  155 

God's  purpose  and  providence  and  it  cannot  fail.  A  missionary 
church  is  enterprising,  aggressive,  efficient,  victorious.  What 
is  true  of  a  church  in  this  respect  is  true  of  other  institutions. 
It  is  true  in  poUtics,  in  business,  in  education.  The  Hermanns- 
burg  church  sent  a  large  number  of  its  own  members  to  South 
Africa.  The  church  trained  its  agents  j  it  built  a  ship  to  take 
them  to  the  field  ;  it  supported  those  that  went  out.  The  Lord 
opened  the  windows  of  heaven  and  poured  out  a  rich  blessing 
upon  the  church  in  its  work  at  home.  In  the  pastorate  of  Louis 
Harms  ten  thousand  members  were  received.  A  visitor  asked 
how  long  that  excitement  lasted.  The  answer  was,  "  It  has 
lasted  for  seventeen  years ;  ever  since  the  ministry  of  Louis 
Harms  began."  The  visitor  asked  if  there  were  not  some 
unbelievers  left  in  the  parish.  The  answer  was,  **  There  is  one, 
and  only  one."  A  preacher  of  the  author's  communion  began 
his  ministry  with  a  church  that  was  in  debt  and  discouraged. 
He  undertook  to  raise  a  large  missionary  offering,  and  succeeded. 
The  church  took  heart  and  soon  paid  off  the  debt.  A  mission 
church  was  built.  A  new  church  building  was  erected,  one  of 
the  very  best  in  the  state.  The  missionary  spirit  generated  by 
the  first  offering  was  the  cause  of  all  that  was  done. 

A  church  that  is  concerned  about  the  work  in  all  parts  of  the 
world  will  be  concerned  about  the  work  in  its  own  vicinity. 
The  light  that  shines  farthest  will  shine  the  brightest  at  home. 
The  church  that  has  no  concern  for  anything  beyond  its  own 
neighbourhood  will  very  soon  not  feel  any  concern  about  its 
own  neighbourhood.  It  is  by  giving  out,  that  we  receive.  It 
is  when  we  go  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
whole  creation,  that  we  can  claim  the  promise,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  It  is  only  when 
we  go  and  thus  preach  that  we  have  any  claim  upon  this  ex- 
ceeding great  and  precious  promise.  Without  His  presence 
and  help  we  can  do  nothing ;  with  them  we  can  do  all  things. 

In  his  farewell  address,  speaking  to  the  people  about  obeying 
the  law  of  God,  Moses  said,  "  It  is  not  a  vain  thing  for  you  ; 


156  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

because  it  is  your  life."  The  same  may  be  said  to  the  church 
concerning  the  missionary  enterprise.  It  is  not  an  indifferent 
thing ;  but  an  absolute  necessity :  it  is  not  a  trifle,  but  a  matter 
of  life  and  death.  It  is  not  simply  the  well-being  of  the  church 
that  is  at  stake,  but  its  very  existence.  The  church  that  will 
heartily  and  joyfully  support  the  cause  of  missions  will  live  and 
prosper  and  will  enjoy  the  loving  favour  of  God ;  the  church 
that  will  refuse  to  support  this  cause  will  be  forever  undone. 
God  will  leave  that  church  to  its  fate,  and  will  raise  up  another 
that  will  do  all  His  righteous  will.  May  He  anoint  our  eyes 
with  eyesalve  that  we  may  see  our  whole  duty,  and  may  He  so 
move  upon  us  by  His  Spirit  that  we  shall  perform  it  with  a  per- 
fect heart  and  a  willing  mind. 


XIV 

THE  CALL  FROM  MACEDONIA  FOR  HELP 

And  they  went  through  the  region  of  Phrygia  and  Galatia,  having 
been  forbidden  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  speak  the  word  in  Asia  ; 
and  when  they  were  come  over  against  Mysia,  they  assayed  to 
go  into  Bithynia ;  and  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  suffered  them  not ; 
and  passing  by  Mysia,  they  came  down  to  Troas.  And  a  vision 
appeared  to  Paul  in  the  night.  There  was  a  man  of  Mace- 
donia standing,  beseeching  him,  and  saying.  Come  over  into 
Macedonia,  and  help  us.  And  when  he  had  seen  the  vision, 
straightway  we  sought  to  go  forth  into  Macedonia,  concluding 
that  God  had  called  us  to  preach  the  gospel  unto  them, — Acts 
i6 :  6-IO. 

RAMSAY  thinks  this  is  in  many  respects  the  most 
remarkable  paragraph  in  The  Acts.  In  these  four 
verses  the  Divine  action  is  introduced  three  times, 
marking  and  justifying  the  new  and  great  step  which  is  made 
at  this  point.  On  three  distinct  occasions  the  guidance  of  God 
is  manifested  in  three  different  ways.  While  on  the  second 
missionary  tour  Paul  and  Silas  went  through  the  region  of 
Phrygia  and  Galatia.  They  had  gone  as  far  as  Paul  and 
Barnabas  had  gone  on  the  first  tour.  At  this  point  they  pro- 
posed to  turn  to  the  west  and  preach  the  gospel  in  the  Roman 
province  of  Asia.  Ephesus  was  their  destination.  The  Holy 
Spirit  forbade  them  to  go  in  that  direction.  When  they  were 
come  over  against  Mysia  they  assayed  to  go  into  Bithynia. 
That  would  have  taken  them  in  a  northeasterly  direction. 
But  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  suffered  them  not.  Impelled  forward  as 
they  were  there  was  only  one  course  open  to  them.     Taking 

157 


158  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

that  course  they  found  themselves  at  Troas.  It  is  clear  that 
the  going  of  these  men  to  Troas  was  unforeseen  and  unfore- 
seeable. "  The  whole  point  of  the  paragraph  is  that  Paul  and 
Silas  were  driven  on  to  the  city  against  their  own  judgment 
and  intention. ' '  They  were  disposed  to  continue  their  labours 
within  narrower  limits.  It  is  evident  that  neither  Troas  nor 
Europe  was  in  their  plans  or  in  their  thoughts.  To  them 
Europe  was  an  unknown  region.  While  they  were  thinking  of 
keeping  within  easy  reach  of  Antioch  and  Jerusalem  they  were 
caught  in  the  sweep  of  God's  eternal  purpose  and  carried  on  to 
Troas,  where  as  they  waited  further  orders  they  could  hear  the 
music  made  by  the  waves  of  the  ^gean  Sea  and  could  almost 
see  Europe  in  the  distance. 

It  was  not  because  the  people  of  Europe  were  ready  for  the 
gospel,  while  the  people  of  Asia  and  Bithynia  were  not,  that 
Paul  was  not  allowed  to  carry  out  his  original  purpose.  The 
prohibitions  were  for  other  reasons.  The  records  show  that  the 
restraint  was  only  temporary.  Three  years  later  we  find  Paul  in 
Ephesus,  the  capital  of  Asia.  He  remained  there  for  two 
years.  So  it  came  to  pass  that  all  they  who  dwelt  in  Asia 
heard  the  word  of  the  Lord,  both  Jews  and  Greeks.  Peter 
wrote  his  first  Epistle  to  the  elect  who  were  sojourners  of  the 
Dispersion  in  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia,  and  Bithynia. 
The  Spirit  wrote  through  John  to  the  seven  churches  in  Asia. 
Doubtless  many  other  churches  were  founded  in  those  parts  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  apostolic  age.  It  appears  that  Paul  and 
Silas  were  kept  out  of  Asia  and  Bithynia  and  driven  on  towards 
Europe  because  God  in  His  providence  was  planning  for  them 
to  preach  on  a  much  wider  theatre  than  they  had  in  contempla- 
tion. The  introduction  of  the  gospel  into  Europe  could  be 
delayed  no  longer. 

Troas  was  the  scene  of  the  war  that  Homer  immortalized. 
Troas  had  been  visited  on  memorable  occasions  by  some  of  the 
great  men  of  the  world.  Xerxes  visited  it  when  he  undertook 
to  conquer  Greece.     Alexander  the  Great  visited  it,  and,  at  the 


The  Call  from  Macedonia  for  Help       159 

tomb  of  Achilles,  girded  on  his  armour  and  from  that  goal 
started  to  overthrow  the  ancient  and  august  dynasties  of  the 
East.  Julius  Caesar  visited  Troas  after  the  battle  of  Pharsalia. 
He  proposed  to  build  there  the  capital  of  the  empire.  And 
now  the  greatest  man  that  ever  walked  the  earth  rested  in  his 
triumphal  progress  on  these  same  poetic  shores.  He  is  armed 
with  weapons  that  are  not  carnal,  but  spiritual,  and  mighty 
through  God  for  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds.  He  was 
sent  forth  to  subdue  all  the  powers  of  the  West  and  to  bring 
the  civilization  of  a  new  continent  into  captivity  to  the 
obedience  of  Christ.  The  most  momentous  event  in  the  his- 
tory of  Europe  is  about  to  happen.  But  Europe  felt  no  inter- 
est in  it ;  in  fact,  was  unaware  of  it.  The  people  of  Europe 
bought  and  sold ;  they  married  and  gave  in  marriage ;  they  ate 
and  drank ;  they  slumbered  and  slept  and  awaked  to  work  and 
play,  and  did  not  think  that  the  day  of  their  redemption  was  at 
hand.  And  Paul  and  Silas  did  not  know.  They  did  not 
suspect  that  they  were  to  be  the  chief  actors  in  one  of  the 
greatest  episodes  in  the  history  of  mankind. 

While  they  were  sleeping  at  Troas  a  vision  appeared  to  Paul 
in  the  night ;  there  was  a  man  of  Macedonia  standing,  beseech- 
ing him,  and  saying,  *'  Come  over  into  Macedonia,  and  help 
us."  And  when  he  had  seen  the  vision,  straightway  Paul  and 
his  associates  sought  to  go  forth  into  Macedonia,  concluding 
that  God  had  called  them  to  preach  the  gospel  there.  Now  all 
is  clear  and  plain.  Paul  understands  why  he  was  forbidden  to 
speak  the  word  in  Asia,  and  why  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  did  not 
suffer  Him  so  much  as  to  enter  Bithynia,  and  why  he  was  im- 
pelled on  to  Troas.  He  saw  that  God's  plan  for  him  was  that 
he  should  not  confine  the  gospel  to  the  continent  of  Asia,  but 
should  cross  the  Egean  Sea  and  preach  in  Europe.  Ramsay 
thinks  that  Luke  was  the  man  that  Paul  saw  in  his  vision. 
Phillips  Brooks  thinks  that  this  man  represented  and  expressed 
the  real  needs  of  the  people  of  Macedonia.  I  prefer  to  think 
that   our  Lord   appeared   to   the  great   apostle  as  a  man  of 


i6o  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Macedonia  and  invited  him  to  cross  over  and  help.  However 
that  may  be,  it  is  well  for  us  to  note  that  Paul  and  his  compan- 
ions sought  to  go  over  at  once.  They  were  satisfied  that  God 
had  called  them  to  preach  the  gospel  in  Macedonia.  So  set- 
ting sail  from  Troas  they  made  a  straight  course  for  Samothrace. 
The  next  day  they  were  in  Neapolis,  and  from  thence  in  a  little 
while  they  were  in  Philippi,  a  city  of  Macedonia,  the  first  of 
the  district,  a  Roman  colony.  These  men  might  have  urged 
excuses  as  others  have  done  since  and  with  less  reason.  They 
might  have  pleaded  their  inablity  to  enter  this  new  field,  as  the 
church  was  yet  young  and  small  and  poor.  They  might  have 
said  that  there  are  many  people  nearer  home  who  have  not 
heard  the  joyful  message.  No  excuse  was  offered  or  invented. 
God  had  called  and  there  was  nothing  for  them  to  do  but  to 
obey.     So  they  started  at  once  and  took  a  straight  course. 

The  sailing  of  Paul  and  his  company  in  response  to  the  call 
of  the  man  of  Macedonia  marked  an  epoch  in  human  history. 
That  event  led  to  greater  and  more  far-reaching  results  than 
the  fall  of  the  Roman  empire  or  the  fall  of  Constantinople  or 
the  French  Revolution  or  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  W.  H. 
Summers  says,  "  Their  voyage  was  a  still  more  decisive  event 
in  the  world's  history  than  that  of  the  Mayflower  to  New  Eng- 
land. It  determined  that  the  great  early  triumphs  of  Chris- 
tianity should  not  be  on  the  continent  where  it  had  its  birth, 
and  among  the  races  which  seemed  most  akin  to  the  Jew  in 
their  habits  of  thought,  not  in  Arabia  and  Persia,  in  India  and 
China,  so  much  as  in  that  western  continent  which  had  given 
letters  to  that  part  of  Asia,  and  now  was  to  receive  from  Asia 
in  return  a  new  religion." 

With  such  a  call  Paul  and  his  friends  might  be  pardoned  for 
expecting  a  very  cordial  welcome  from  the  people  of  Macedonia. 
They  may  have  looked  for  a  delegation  of  influential  citizens 
to  meet  them  on  landing  and  to  provide  for  their  entertainment. 
Perhaps  they  looked  about  and  waited  for  the  man  that  Paul 
saw  in  his  vision.     But  there  was  no  one  on  the  shore  to  wel- 


The  Call  from  Macedonia  for  Help       161 

come  them  and  to  attend  to  their  needs.  The  men  that  God 
had  called  to  preach  to  these  people  were  left  to  shift  for  them- 
selves. The  men  of  Macedonia  did  not  notice  their 
arrival.  If  they  did  they  were  wholly  indifferent  to  it  and  to 
the  message  they  brought.  They  were  not  conscious  of  any 
need.  They  had  their  own  temples  and  gods,  and  had  no 
thought  of  looking  to  the  east  and  to  the  Jews  for  any  help  in 
religious  matters. 

It  was  help  they  needed,  nevertheless.  The  Divine  Spirit 
selected  the  precise  word  to  describe  their  condition.  They 
had  art  and  learning  and  philosophy  and  religious  faiths  of 
several  kinds ;  but  they  needed  help.  What  they  had  could 
not  satisfy  the  intellect  nor  give  peace  to  the  troubled  con- 
science. Their  priests  could  teach  them  some  things;  but 
their  priests  had  no  gospel.  They  could  not  tell  them  how  to 
find  salvation.  They  were  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  There 
is  salvation  in  Christ,  and  there  is  salvation  in  none  other ;  for 
there  is  none  other  name  given  under  heaven  and  among  men 
wherein  we  must  be  saved.  Nothing  can  be  clearer  than  this, 
that  humanity  without  the  gospel  is  helpless.  Being  without 
God  it  is  without  hope.  Greece  had  great  schools  and  great 
teachers;  she  had  poets  and  orators  and  dramatists  and 
philosophers ;  but  in  Greece  there  were  contradictory  systems 
of  thought ;  the  poor  were  neglected  ;  the  bulk  of  the  people 
were  slaves.  In  Rome  there  was  social  failure.  The  people 
were  corrupt.  They  lost  their  ancient  liberties.  Their 
strength  was  sapped  by  their  vices.  One  has  only  to  read  the 
first  chapter  of  Romans  to  learn  the  condition  of  society  when 
God  is  not  known  and  honoured  and  obeyed.  It  has  ever  and 
always  been  so.  Where  the  gospel  has  not  gone  the  people  are 
degraded  and  spiritually  destitute.  They  need  help.  This  is 
as  true  of  the  Brahmin  and  Mandarin  and  Daim.yo  as  it  is  of 
the  coolie  and  pariah.  The  people  of  Macedonia  did  not 
want  help,  but  they  needed  help.  They  needed  the  very  mes- 
sage the  apostle  brought. 


i62  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

So  unconcerned  were  they  that  Paul  and  Silas  were  in  the 
city  certain  days  without  being  able  to  accomplish  anything 
worthy  of  mention.  There  was  no  synagogue  in  the  city  of 
Philippi.  On  the  Sabbath  day  Paul  and  Silas  went  forth  with- 
out the  gate  by  a  riverside,  where  they  supposed  there  was  a 
place  of  prayer.  There  they  sat  down  and  spoke  to  the  women 
who  were  come  together.  One  woman  whose  heart  God  opened 
gave  heed  to  the  things  which  were  spoken  by  Paul.  As  a  re- 
sult of  this  she  and  her  household  were  baptized.  So  the  first 
church  in  Europe  was  planted.  So  quietly  and  modestly  the 
regeneration  of  a  continent  began.  A  little  later  Paul  healed 
an  insane  girl.  Because  of  this  good  act  he  and  Silas  were 
arrested  and  beaten  with  rods  and  were  thrust  into  the  inner- 
most prison  and  their  feet  made  fast  in  the  stocks.  Howbeit 
God's  purpose  was  being  carried  forward.  The  jailer  and  his 
household  are  numbered  among  the  converts.  Not  only  so,  but 
the  magistrates  and  many  of  the  people  of  the  city  heard  of  the 
new  faith.  Thus  the  church  which  Paul  spoke  of  as  his  joy 
and  crown  began  its  bright  career. 

This  paragraph  suggests  some  things  worth  considering. 
The  first  is  this,  that  God  is  the  author  of  the  missionary  en- 
terprise and  is  interested  in  its  welfare.  Every  step  taken  by 
the  apostles  out  into  the  wide  field  destitute  of  the  gospel  was 
taken  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Peter  did  not 
go  to  Caesarea  to  preach  to  the  household  of  Cornelius  of  his 
own  accord.  It  took  a  vision  to  convince  him  of  his  duty. 
The  vision  was  repeated  three  times  before  his  prejudices  were 
dislodged.  Paul  wanted  to  remain  in  Jerusalem.  He  felt  that 
he  was  peculiarly  qualified  to  preach  to  his  own  countrymen. 
But  the  Lord  would  not  have  it  so.  Paul  was  needed  in  the  larger 
and  more  difficult  field.  So  the  Lord  said  to  him,  ♦'  Depart,  for 
I  will  send  thee  forth  far  hence  to  the  Gentiles."  The  church 
in  Antioch  did  not  take  the  initiative  in  sending  Barnabas  and 
Saul  out  as  missionaries.  It  was  the  Holy  Spirit  who  said, 
"Separate  Me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I 


The  Call  from  Macedonia  for  Help       163 

have  called  them."  The  narrative  says  that  they  were  "sent 
out  by  the  Holy  Spirit. "  To  the  members  of  that  great  church 
it  no  doubt  seemed  that  Barnabas  and  Saul  were  needed  there 
more  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  But  the  Holy 
Spirit  felt  otherwise  and  sent  these  men  out  to  preach  in  Cyprus 
and  in  Asia  Minor.  In  this  instance  Paul  and  Silas  had  no 
thought  of  entering  Europe.  They  were  prevented  from  turn- 
ing to  the  left  hand  and  to  the  right  and  guided  on  to  Troas. 
The  Holy  Spirit  and  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  are  spoken  of  as  in- 
tervening to  shape  their  course.  At  Troas  their  further  course 
is  made  clear  and  plain.  The  vision  that  Paul  saw  solved  the 
mystery.  It  was  God  that  opened  closed  doors  and  dis- 
posed the  hearts  of  His  children  to  enter  in  and  take  possession. 

From  the  very  first  there  have  been  those  who  looked  upon 
the  missionary  as  an  object  of  pity.  He  was  supposed  to  be 
beside  himself.  Else  why  should  he  trouble  himself  about 
people  that  he  had  never  seen  and  people  that  had  done  nothing 
for  him.  If  he  were  going  out  to  make  money  or  to  serve  the 
nation  as  an  ambassador  or  as  a  consul,  it  would  be  different. 
In  that  event  his  friends  would  congratulate  him  and  envy  him. 
They  would  banquet  him  and  toast  him  and  photograph  him. 
He  would  be  the  lion  of  the  hour.  But  going  out  as  a  mes- 
senger of  Jesus  Christ  to  make  Christ  and  His  gospel  known  he 
is  looked  upon  as  if  his  mind  were  diseased.  If  we  hold  to  the 
Scriptures  at  all,  we  must  know  and  hold  that  the  missionary 
enterprise  is  not  of  man  but  of  God.  It  originated  with  Him. 
He  is  interested  in  it  and  pledged  to  see  it  through.  Heaven 
and  earth  may  pass  away ;  but  the  sure  promise  of  God  cannot 
fail.     His  purpose  cannot  be  defeated. 

Secondly,  this  paragraph  teaches  us  that  new  fields  are  to  be 
entered  before  everything  is  done  nearer  home.  The  most 
persistent  and  plausible  objection  to  world-wide  missions  is  that 
there  is  so  much  to  be  done  at  home.  If  the  policy  contem- 
plated by  this  objection  had  been  strictly  adhered  to  from  the 
beginning,   the  gospel   never  would   have  been  carried  into 


164  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Europe.  Not  only  so,  but  Barnabas  and  Saul  would  never 
have  been  sent  out  from  Antioch  on  their  first  missionary  tour. 
Not  only  so,  but  the  gospel  never  would  have  been  preached 
in  Syria  or  in  Arabia  or  in  Persia  or  in  North  Africa.  More- 
over, it  would  not  have  been  preached  in  Judea  or  in  Samaria 
or  in  Galilee.  Nor  would  it  have  been  preached  in  Jerusalem 
outside  the  precincts  of  the  temple.  In  this  work  God's 
thoughts  are  not  our  thoughts ;  His  ways  are  not  our  ways. 
Paul  and  Silas  were  impelled  across  a  province.  They  were 
not  permitted  to  preach  in  or  to  enter  the  places  they  had  in 
mind.  It  was  so  from  the  beginning  and  will  be  so  till  the 
end.  The  plan  of  God  is  that  new  territory  shall  be  entered 
as  rapidly  and  as  widely  as  possible.  The  war  is  to  be  carried 
into  the  very  heart  of  the  enemy's  country.  The  church  is  to 
show  her  enterprise  and  aggressiveness  and  determination  to 
conquer.  In  following  this  course  the  work  at  home  is 
prosecuted  with  new  vigour  and  with  gratifying  results. 
Phillips  Brooks  says  that  when  a  force  meant  for  a  large  ex- 
pansion is  denied  the  large  expansion  which  its  nature  craves, 
it  does  not  merely  fail  of  the  larger  work  which  it  is  not 
allowed  to  do,  but  it  loses  its  best  capacity  and  power  in  the 
narrow  field  to  which  it  is  confined.  "Any  arrested  develop- 
ment, any  denial  to  a  power  of  its  true  range  and  scope,  not 
merely  limits  it,  but  poisons  it,  not  merely  shuts  it  out  of  the 
regions  where  it  wants  to  go,  but  makes  it  work  feebly  and 
falsely  in  the  region  to  which  it  is  confined."  The  heart  must 
drive  the  blood  to  the  tips  of  the  fingers  and  to  the  ends  of 
the  toes  and  to  the  roots  of  the  hair  and  to  every  part  of  the 
body ;  otherwise  the  whole  head  will  be  sick,  and  the  whole 
heart  will  be  faint.  Missions  are  not  only  essential  if  the 
world  is  to  be  saved,  but  are  indispensable  to  the  preservation 
of  the  church's  own  life  and  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  work 
that  lies  nearest  to  it. 

Thirdly,  we  know,  from  what  followed,  the  effect  of  this 
visit  to  Europe  on  Paul  himself.     He  concluded  at  once  that 


The  Call  from  Macedonia  for  Help       165 

God  called  him  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  regions  beyond. 
When  Peter  saw  the  vision  on  the  housetop  in  Joppa  his 
ingrained  prejudices  asserted  themselves.  He  objected  and 
argued.  Paul  obeyed  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  In 
obeying,  his  own  soul  was  enlarged  and  enriched  j  in  Europe 
he  came  into  contact  with  new  peoples  and  with  a  new 
civilization.  He  was  less  provincial  and  more  cosmopolitan 
after  this  visit  than  he  had  been  before.  He  was  a  broader 
man  and  a  better  man.  Matheson  has  pointed  out  how  Paul's 
views  were  modified  by  his  stay  in  Rome.  While  there  his 
ideas  assumed  an  imperial  aspect.  If  Paul  had  been  dis- 
obedient to  the  heavenly  vision,  he  would  not  have  written  the 
Epistles  to  the  Romans,  the  Corinthians,  the  Thessalonians, 
and  the  Philippians.  Moreover,  his  own  views  would  have 
contracted ;  his  soul  would  have  shrunk,  and  he  would  have 
been  forgotten  long  ago.  Paul  greatened  and  immortalized 
himself  while  carrying  the  gospel  from  Asia  to  Europe. 

Fourthly,  the  Christless  nations  need  help.  They  may  have 
great  military  establishments ;  they  may  have  elaborate  systems 
for  ethical  culture;  they  may  have  religions  and  temples  and 
priests  and  all  the  emblems  and  instrumentalities  of  devotion ; 
Europe  had  all  these  and  more.  But  Europe  needed  the 
gospel ;  she  needed  help.  She  needed  a  knowledge  of  God  and 
Jesus  Christ,  for  this  knowledge  is  eternal  life.  What  was  true 
then  is  true  now.  Japan  has  an  army  and  navy  of  marvellous 
efficiency ;  she  has  philosophy ;  she  has  three  religious 
systems ;  but  Japan  needs  help.  She  cannot  with  her  own 
resources  conquer  her  uncleanness  and  other  vices.  She  may 
be  able  to  drive  the  Russian  army  out  of  Manchuria  and  sweep 
the  Russian  fleets  from  the  sea ;  but  she  is  weak  and  helpless 
apart  from  Christ.  China  has  the  ethics  of  Confucius,  the 
highest  ethical  code  in  the  world  outside  of  that  given  by 
Moses ;  but  China  needs  help  if  she  would  lead  a  complete 
life.  What  is  true  of  China  is  true  of  India,  of  Africa,  of 
Korea,  of  Persia,  of  Tibet,  and  of  every  other  people  in  ex- 


l66  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

istence.  The  word  help  expresses  the  need  of  every  un- 
evangelized  people  on  the  globe. 

The  bulk  of  the  race  are  now  in  need  of  help.  They  are 
not  all  conscious  of  their  spiritual  destitution ;  but  some  of  them 
are.  People  come  to  our  mission  stations  and  ask  for  help  in 
the  shape  of  teachers  and  preachers  and  physicians.  They 
offer  them  land  and  promise  to  provide  for  their  needs  if  they 
will  come  and  teach  them  the  good  words  of  God.  Living 
men  and  women  begging  that  missionaries  be  sent  to  them  are 
as  surely  Divine  messengers  as  was  the  man  that  Paul  saw  in 
his  vision  at  night  in  Troas. 

«  Through  midnight  gloom  from  Macedon, 
The  cry  of  myriads  as  of  one  ; 
The  voiceful  silence  of  despair 
Is  eloquent  in  awful  prayer : 
The  soul's  exceeding  bitter  cry, 

*  Come  o'er  and  help  us,  or  we  die.* 

"  How  mournfully  it  echoes  on, 
For  half  the  earth  is  Macedon  ; 
These  brethren  to  their  brethren  call, 
And  by  the  Love  that  loves  them  all. 
And  by  the  whole  world's  Life  they  cry, 

*  O  ye  that  live,  behold  we  die.'  " 

When  Paul  saw  this  man  he  sought  to  go  into  Macedonia 
straightway,  concluding  that  God  had  called  him  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  people  of  that  place.  With  as  clear  an  indication 
of  the  Divine  will,  what  will  our  conclusion  and  action  be  ? 
Shall  we  shut  our  eyes  and  stop  our  ears  and  harden  our  hearts 
and  do  nothing  ?  or  shall  we  follow  Paul's  example  and  share 
in  the  honour  and  reward  of  the  final  conquest  ?  God  help  us 
to  decide  wisely  and  to  do  our  full  duty. 


XV 

THE  GRACE  OF  GIVING 
2  Cor.,  8  and  9 

THE  disciples  of  Christ  understand  some  things  as 
well  as  the  apostles  did.  We  understand  the  condi- 
tions of  entrance  into  the  Messianic  kingdom.  We 
understand  the  place  and  meaning  of  baptism  and  the  I^ord's 
supper.  We  have  studied  and  mastered  the  second  chapter  of 
The  Acts.  We  are  able  to  guide  penitent  and  believing  souls 
with  absolute  accuracy  and  absolute  certainty.  We  can 
answer  the  question,  **What  must  we  do?"  not  in  words 
which  man's  wisdom  teaches,  but  in  words  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  teaches.  Those  who  accept  this  teaching  feel  the  solid 
rock  beneath  their  feet.  They  know  they  are  walking  in  the 
way  God  has  prescribed.  There  is  one  thing,  however,  that 
we  have  not  studied  with  the  same  diligence  and  with  the  same 
happy  results.  We  have  not  given  due  attention  to  the  teach- 
ing found  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  chapters  of  Second 
Corinthians.  The  fathers  exulted  in  the  thought  that  they 
were  the  advocates  of  a  free  gospel.  With  all  due  respect  to 
their  memories  and  with  the  highest  appreciation  of  their 
services,  we  may  say  it  is  possible  that  they  made  a  mistake  in 
not  laying  greater  stress  on  this  section  of  the  word  of  God. 
They  were  delighted  with  the  second  chapter  of  The  Acts  and 
felt  like  building  their  tents  and  remaining  in  that  vicinity. 
The  atmosphere  was  pure  and  bracing ;  the  water  was  cleai 
and  abundant ;  the  landscape  was  like  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 
We  shall  always  need  to  be  familiar  with  that  great  chapter; 
we  shall  have  to  preach  much  from  it  in  our  evangelistic 
services.     But  we  should  not  forget  that  those  other  chapters 

167 


i68  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

were  inspired  by  the  same  Spirit,  and  that  we  must  know  and 
do  what  they  teach  if  we  would  be  perfect,  entire,  wanting 
nothing.  The  eighth  and  ninth  chapters  of  Second  Corinthians 
have  to  do  with  the  question  of  giving.  In  them  Paul  is  deal- 
ing with  an  episode  of  his  day  and  with  principles  that  are 
eternal  and  applicable  to  all  places  and  to  all  times.  When 
we  shall  have  given  as  much  thought  to  those  two  chapters  and 
insist  as  strenuously  upon  what  they  enjoin  as  we  have  done 
to  the  second  chapter  of  The  Acts,  we  shall  see  the  dawn  of  a 
better  day.  It  is  my  purpose  to  call  attention  to  some  of  the 
salient  features  of  this  rich  portion  of  sacred  Scripture.  Please 
note  — 

I.  The  Holy  spirifs  estimate  of  a  gift  of  fnoney.  Six 
times  it  is  called  a  *' grace,"  once  it  is  called  the  grace  of 
God,  and  once  *' the  exceeding  grace  of  God."  The  apostle 
began  his  discussion  by  making  known  to  the  Corinthians  the 
grace  of  God  which  had  been  given  in  the  churches  of 
Macedonia.  Their  generosity  was  a  proof  of  the  grace 
wrought  in  them  by  the  indwelling  Spirit  of  God.  It  was  a 
fruit  of  the  Spirit.  It  was  a  demonstration  of  His  presence  and 
gracious  operation.  It  is  natural  for  human  beings  to  seek  the 
good  things  of  this  life.  They  wish  to  surround  themselves 
with  what  will  minister  to  their  comfort  and  convenience.  Giv- 
ing goes  against  the  grain  of  our  natural  incHnations.  It  is 
only  as  we  are  renewed  into  the  image  of  Him  who  created  us, 
that  we  take  pleasure  in  giving  to  benefit  those  who  are  outside 
the  circle  of  our  friends  and  relatives.  The  churches  of 
Macedonia  gave  of  their  substance  to  assist  people  whom  they 
had  not  seen  and  of  whom  they  had  no  personal  knowledge, 
people  of  another  race.  At  that  time  every  man  was  a  wolf  to 
his  neighbour.  The  stranger  was  an  enemy  and  was  a  legitimate 
prey.  While  such  notions  were  current  these  churches  were 
pouring  out  their  treasures  to  relieve  the  poor  saints  in 
Jerusalem.  They  did  this  because  they  were  partakers  of  the 
divine  nature. 


The  Grace  of  Giving  169 

II.  Two  remarkable  instances  cited.  Referring  to  the 
Macedonians  the  apostle  said  that  ''in  much  proof  of  affliction 
the  abundance  of  their  joy  and  deep  poverty  abounded  unto 
the  riches  of  their  liberahty."  Their  joy  overflowed  their 
affliction ;  their  liberahty  overflowed  their  poverty.  Their 
giving  was  according  to  their  power,  yea,  and  beyond  their 
power.  The  spirit  of  God  so  moved  upon  them  that  they  gave 
on  a  scale  that  had  no  precedent.  They  were  wiUing  to  deny 
themselves  that  they  might  give  to  relieve  those  whose  need 
was  much  greater  then  their  own.  He  states  that  they  gave  of 
their  own  accord.  They  were  not  moved  by  eloquent 
appeals ;  their  giving  was  spontaneous.  No  doubt  many  of 
them  had  a  struggle  to  make  ends  meet.  Nevertheless  they 
deemed  it  a  privilege  to  give.  They  besought  the  apostles 
with  much  entreaty  in  regard  to  this  grace  and  the  fellowship 
in  the  ministering  to  the  saints.  Herein  is  a  marvellous  thing. 
I  know  of  nothing  like  it  in  all  biblical  history.  After 
Pentecost  the  believers  laid  down  their  possessions  at  the 
apostles'  feet  and  distribution  was  made  as  every  one  had  need. 
There  was  a  voluntary  surrender  of  property  for  the  general 
good.  But  here  the  churches  went  far  beyond  that.  They 
importuned  the  apostle  to  permit  them  to  share  in  this  good 
work.  These  churches  are  held  up  as  a  shining  example  of 
what  redeemed  souls  can  do  when  controlled  by  the  Divine 
Spirit.  Here  men  and  women  sought  out  opportunities  for 
doing  what  they  knew  would  be  pleasing  to  God.  Paul  was 
agreeably  disappointed  in  them.  Their  condition  was  such 
that  he  did  not  dare  to  expect  much  from  them.  Their  gifts 
far  surpassed  his  hopes.  The  explanation  is  added,  "  They 
first  gave  their  own  selves  to  the  Lord."  Afterwards  they 
gave  to  the  apostles  by  the  will  of  God. 

It  was  not  enough  to  tell  them  what  the  Macedonians  had 
done;  he  tells  them  what  the  Lord  had  done.  *' For  ye  know 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  He  was  rich, 
yet  for  your  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  ye  through  His  poverty 


170  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

might  become  rich. ' '  Paul  constantly  referred  believers  to  their 
Lord.  If  he  could  base  an  appeal  on  some  word  of  the 
Master  or  some  act  of  His  life,  he  was  content.  He  tells  the 
Corinthians  how  the  Redeemer  of  mankind  acted.  He  was 
rich,  and  yet  became  poor.  He  could  say,  "  The  foxes  have 
their  dens,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  their  nests,  but  the 
Son  of  man  has  not  whereon  to  lay  His  head."  He  had  been 
on  an  equality  with  God,  but  He  emptied  Himself,  and  took 
upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness 
of  men.  Here  was  a  pattern  for  them.  Here  was  an  ideal 
such  as  they  could  find  nowhere  else.  It  was  for  the 
Corinthians  to  imitate  the  Prince  of  life  in  this  and  in  all  other 
respects. 

III.  The  three  points  about  giving  which  are  emphasized. 
The  first  is  readiness.  '*  For  if  the  readiness  is  there,  it  is  ac- 
ceptable according  as  a  man  hath,  and  not  according  as  he 
hath  not."  A  year  ago  the  Corinthians  were  willing  to  make 
generous  contributions.  The  first  announcement  of  the 
proposed  collection  was  taken  up  eagerly.  They  had  been 
stirred  by  the  knowledge  of  the  famine  in  Jerusalem.  But  it 
is  obvious  that  no  energetic  measures  were  adopted  for  giving 
effect  to  their  good  intentions.  In  the  lapse  of  time  their  ardour 
had  become  somewhat  cool.  Some  were  afraid  that  they 
would  impoverish  themselves.  Paul  called  upon  them  to  per- 
form the  doing  of  what  they  had  contemplated,  ''that  as  there 
was  the  readiness  to  will,  so  there  may  be  the  completion  also 
out  of  your  ability."  Generous  impulses  are  good,  but  these 
impulses  must  be  acted  upon ;  otherwise  they  will  result  in 
injury  to  the  soul.  There  is  nothing  worse  than  to  be  moved 
and  melted  by  fervent  appeals,  and  then  to  permit  the  feeling 
to  evaporate  without  doing  anything.  Emotion  must  be 
transmuted  into  action  in  order  to  be  of  any  value. 

The  second  thing  emphasized  is  ability.  God  requires  one 
to  give  according  as  he  has,  not  according  as  he  has  not. 
The  Lord  is  not  concerned  with  the  amount  we  give ;  what  He 


The  Grace  of  Giving  171 

notices  is  its  proportion  to  what  He  has  given  us  in  trust  to  be 
used  as  the  interests  of  the  Kingdom  require.  Luke  tells  us 
that  Jesus  looked  up  and  saw  the  rich  men  that  were  casting 
their  gifts  into  the  treasury.  And  he  saw  a  certain  poor 
widow  casting  in  two  mites.  And  He  said,  ''  Of  a  truth  I  say 
unto  you,  this  poor  widow  cast  in  more  than  they  all ;  for  all 
these  did  of  their  superfluity  cast  in  unto  the  gifts  ;  but  she  of 
her  want  did  cast  in  all  her  living  that  she  had."  She  had 
made  the  greater  sacrifice,  and  the  encomium  of  our  Lord  has 
come  ringing  down  the  ages  for  the  encouragement  of  those  who 
have  little  to  give,  but  whose  hearts  are  large  and  who  give  as 
they  have  been  prospered.  The  Lord  needs  nothing  from  our 
hands.  The  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills  are  His.  He  could 
make  gold  and  silver  out  of  the  stones  of  the  field,  if  it  were 
only  money  He  needed.  But  He  wants  the  love  and  the  grate- 
ful offerings  of  His  children. 

The  third  thing  is  equality.  The  apostle  did  not  wish  that 
the  saints  in  Jerusalem  should  be  eased  and  those  in  Corinth 
distressed.  What  he  did  wish  was  reciprocity;  "  your  abun- 
dance being  at  this  time  a  supply  for  their  want,  and  their 
abundance  also  may  be  a  supply  for  your  want."  Some  time  in 
the  future  their  conditions  might  be  reversed.  Then  it  would 
be  for  the  Jerusalem  Christians  to  make  a  contribution  for  the 
poor  saints  in  Corinth.  Paul  was  no  anarchist  or  revolutionist 
or  leveller.  He  was  an  advocate  of  such  equality  as  could  be 
produced  by  the  sentiment  of  fraternity  in  the  hearts  of  all  be- 
lievers. He  refers  to  the  experience  of  the  people  in  the 
desert.  Enough  manna  fell  for  all.  The  little  that  some 
could  gather  was  ample.  The  great  store  that  others  gathered 
did  no  more  than  suffice.  With  equality  now  every  soul  alive 
could  hear  the  gospel  of  God's  grace.  If  all  who  have  been 
blessed  in  basket  and  in  store  would  give  as  they  would  wish  to 
receive,  there  would  be  no  lack  anywhere.  On  the  contrary, 
there  would  be  a  superabundance  for  all. 

IV.     The  nature  of  the  giving  desired.     First,  it  is  to  be 


172  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

liberal  or  bountiful.  God  does  not  dictate  how  much  any  one 
shall  give.  His  wish  is  that  we  shall  give  till  our  giving  can 
be  properly  called  bountifulness.  One  may  give  a  penny  a  week 
and  do  that.  And  one  may  give  ten  thousand  dollars  a  week 
and  fall  short.  There  are  teachers  and  ministers  and  washer- 
women and  mechanics  and  others  who  give  bountifully,  and  the 
Lord  takes  note  and  pours  His  blessings  in  full  tides  into  their 
souls.  A  woman  with  an  income  of  ;^  1,000  a  year  lived 
comfortably  on  two  hundred  and  gave  eight  hundred  to  the 
Lord's  work.  Some  one  commented  on  her  large  gifts.  She 
said,  "  Suppose  I  lived  on  eight  hundred  and  gave  only  two, 
how  could  I  meet  my  Lord  in  judgment?"  A  young  man  of 
marvellous  gifts  consecrated  himself  and  his  all  to  the  Redeemer. 
Speaking  to  others  he  said,  **  Let  us  be  real  in  our  talk.  We 
say  the  Lord  gave.  What  did  He  give  ?  Was  it  His  leavings  ? 
Was  it  that  which  cost  Him  nothing  ?  He  gave  His  only  be- 
gotten Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  might  not  perish 
but  have  eternal  life."  If  we  wish  to  give  bountifully  we  must 
adopt  a  new  standard.  We  must  give  on  a  scale  that  we  can 
rightfully  say  is  Godlike.  As  long  as  the  Christian  people  of 
America  give  only  thirty-two  cents  each  in  a  year  for  foreign 
missions  we  can  hardly  make  that  claim. 

"  <  What  can  I  spare  ?  '  we  say ; 
<  Ah  !  this  and  this 
From  mine  array 
I  am  not  like  to  miss ; 

And  here  crumbs  to  feed  some  hungry  one ; 
They  do  but  grow  a  cumbrance  on  my  shelf.* 
And  yet  one  reads,  *  Our  Father  gave  His  Son, 
Our  Master  gave  Himself.'  " 

Secondly,  it  is  to  be  deliberate,  **  Each  one  as  he  has 
purposed  in  his  heart,  so  let  him  give."  Paul  would  have  the 
Corinthians  act  as  intelligent  and  responsible  beings.  He 
would  have  them  consider  the  needs  of  their  brethren  and  their 


The  Grace  of  Giving  173 

own  ability  to  supply  those  needs,  and  to  act  in  view  of  these 
considerations.  Usually  men  wait  to  be  begged,  urged,  en- 
treated. Special  days  are  set  aside  for  special  efforts  to  open 
hearts  and  purses.  Eloquent  speakers  are  engaged  for  the 
purpose.  The  entire  system  of  raising  money  proceeds  on  the 
assumption  that  Christian  people  do  not  purpose  in  their  hearts 
what  they  can  do  and  do  it.  If  they  are  pleased  with  the 
solicitor  and  if  every  other  condition  is  favourable  they  may  do 
their  part.  Franklin  went  to  hear  Whitefield  preach  a  charity 
sermon.  He  resolved  before  entering  the  church  that  he 
would  not  give  anything.  As  the  great  preacher  went  on  in  the 
unfolding  of  his  theme  Franklin  relented  and  said  he  would 
give  what  copper  coins  he  had  in  his  pocket.  A  little  later  he 
was  moved  still  more  and  he  resolved  he  would  give  what 
silver  he  had  with  him  in  addition  to  the  copper.  Whitefield 
closed  in  a  burst  of  eloquence  that  swept  away  all  thought 
of  withholding  anything,  and  when  the  plates  were  passed 
Franklin  emptied  his  pockets,  giving  copper  and  silver  and 
gold  in  one  offering.  It  is  because  so  many  do  not  purpose  in 
their  hearts  what  they  can  and  should  do  that  their  giving  is  so 
spasmodic  and  intermittent.  One  year  they  give;  the  next 
year  they  give  nothing.  The  needs  are  greater  the  second  year 
than  they  were  the  first.  But  the  appeal  was  not  so  eloquent, 
or  the  conditions  were  not  so  favourable.  Christian  men  and 
women  should  decide  in  the  fear  of  God  what  they  can  give 
and  give  it.  They  should  do  this  whether  there  is  an  appeal 
or  not,  whether  the  day  is  bright  or  dark.  God's  mercies  are 
new  every  morning  and  fresh  every  evening.  He  opens  His 
hands  and  supplies  the  wants  of  every  living  thing.  He  does 
not  wait  to  be  entreated  and  urged.  His  thoughts  concerning 
us  are  thoughts  of  good  and  not  of  evil.  What  is  true  of  Him 
should  be  true  of  all  His  children. 

Thirdly,  giving  should  be  cheerful.  There  is  a  kind  of 
eloquence  that  forces  men  to  give.  They  are  hypnotized. 
They  give  because  they  have  lost  self-control.     The  next  day 


174  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

they  lament  what  they  have  done  and  would  gladly  recall  their 
gifts  if  they  could.  Not  being  able  to  do  that  they  determine 
not  to  be  caught  in  that  trap  again.  Their  giving  may  be  on  a 
large  scale,  but  it  is  not  cheerful.  God  has  no  pleasure  in  any 
offering  that  is  made  grudgingly  or  from  compulsion.  If  we 
grieve  when  we  give  and  mourn  because  we  cannot  keep  it  for 
our  own  use ;  if  we  give  from  necessity,  because  of  our  posi- 
tion, or  because  of  the  usages  of  society,  or  the  comments  of 
our  neighbours,  our  names  and  pictures  may  be  published,  but 
God  is  not  honoured  or  pleased.  A  farmer  was  asked  how 
much  milk  a  certain  cow  gave.  He  said,  "  She  gives  nothing 
voluntarily,  but  if  a  strong  man  can  get  her  into  a  corner 
where  she  can  neither  hook  nor  kick,  she  will  give  eleven 
quarts."  That  is  the  way  some  Christians  give.  They  give 
their  money  as  reluctantly  as  they  part  with  their  teeth  or  their 
life  blood.  They  regard  an  appeal  as  some  do  the  payment  of 
taxes  or  toll  on  a  road.  It  is  something  to  be  evaded  if  at  all 
possible.  If  the  day  for  the  missionary  offering  is  stormy  or 
even  threatening  they  make  it  a  point  to  remain  away.  If  there 
is  no  minister  present  they  do  the  same.  The  day  for  the  offer- 
ing should  be  a  high  day.  It  should  be  the  best  day  in  the 
year.  It  should  be  as  full  of  delight  as  Christmas  or  Easter. 
The  auditorium  should  be  decorated  with  flags  and  flowers. 
Giving  should  be  regarded  as  a  privilege.  It  should  be  a  pas- 
sion, an  exhilaration,  a  joy.  So  deeply  was  the  apostle  con- 
cerned about  this  matter  that  he  would  not  issue  a  command. 
Christian  bounty  is  not  a  fit  subject  for  command  ;  its  charm 
lies  in  its  spontaneity.  The  value  of  a  gift  in  God's  sight  de- 
pends upon  the  goodwill  of  the  giver.  Paul  wished  that  the 
giving  of  the  Corinthians  should  be  a  matter  of  bounty,  and 
not  of  extortion. 

Fourthly,  it  should  be  speedy.  The  great  apostle  sent  Titus 
and  the  brother  whose  praise  in  the  gospel  was  spread  through 
all  the  churches  to  Corinth  to  stir  up  the  people,  in  order  that 
they  might  be  prepared.     He  entreated  these  men  that  they 


The  Grace  of  Giving  1 75 

would  go  before  and  make  up  beforehand  the  afore- promised 
bounty.  The  word  before  is  used  three  times  in  this  connec- 
tion. If  messengers  had  to  be  sent  out  to  make  collections 
after  Paul's  arrival,  his  departure  would  be  delayed  and  there 
would  be  much  needless  suffering.  There  is  a  proverb  to  the 
effect  that  he  that  gives  promptly  gives  twice.  That  was  the 
way  Paul  wished  the  Corinthians  to  give.  That  is  the  way 
God  gives.  *'  Before  they  call  I  will  hear,  and  while  they  are 
yet  speaking  I  will  answer."  Giving  that  is  joyful  is  almost 
certain  to  be  speedy.  It  is  the  giving  that  is  reluctant  that  is 
deferred  as  long  as  possible. 

V.  The  motives  enu7nerated.  First,  he  asks  them  to 
jnaifitatn  their  reputation.  He  had  been  glorying  on  their  be- 
half to  them  of  Macedonia.  He  had  been  telling  them  that 
Achaia  had  been  prepared  for  a  year.  The  zeal  of  those  in 
Achaia  had  stirred  up  very  many  in  Macedonia.  He  was  un- 
willing that  his  glorying  on  their  behalf  should  be  made  void. 
He  felt  that  if  some  of  the  Macedonian  brethren  should  ac- 
company him  to  Corinth  and  should  find  that  the  offering  was 
not  ready  he  and  the  Corinthians  would  be  put  to  shame ;  he 
for  his  false  confidence,  and  they  for  their  unreadiness.  He 
was  anxious  that  the  wealthy  church  in  Corinth  should  not  fall 
behind  the  poor  churches  in  Macedonia.  He  appeals  to  their 
pride.  This  was  not  the  highest  motive,  but  it  was  a  motive, 
and  not  a  bad  one.  As  long  as  men  are  as  they  are  all  good 
motives  may  be  properly  employed.  Those  who  begin  under 
the  impulse  of  a  motive  lower  than  the  highest  may  in  course 
of  time  come  to  be  actuated  by  the  very  highest.  It  has  been 
well  said  that,  "a  good  cause,  too,  has  a  wonderful  power  of  its 
own  when  men  attend  to  it ;  it  asserts  itself,  and  takes  possession 
of  souls  on  its  own  account.  Rivalry  becomes  generous  then, 
even  if  it  remains  ;  it  is  a  race  in  love  that  is  being  run,  and  all 
who  run  obtain  the  prize." 

Secondly,  giving  to  help  of  the  Lord's  work  is  an  investment. 
The  giver  gains  and  does  not  lose.     Giving  is  like  sowing  seed. 


lyG  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

The  harvest  will  be  according  to  the  sowing.  He  that  soweth 
sparingly  shall  reap  also  sparingly ;  and  he  that  soweth  bounti- 
fully shall  reap  also  bountifully.  If  the  returns  are  small  it  is 
because  the  investment  is  small.  There  is  that  scattereth  and 
yet  increaseth  ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet 
and  it  tendeth  to  poverty.  **  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you;  good  measure,  pressed  down,  running  over,  shall  they 
give  into  your  bosom."  God  honours  those  that  honour  Him. 
"  He  that  giveth  to  the  poor  lendeth  to  the  Lord,  and  it  shall 
be  paid  him  again."  This  is  the  promise  of  love,  and  it  cannot 
fail.  If  we  regard  the  security  as  sufficient  we  know  how  to 
proceed. 

Thirdly,  the  giving  set  forth  here  is  pleasing  to  God.  He 
loves  the  cheerful  giver.  If  we  give  as  He  has  prospered  us 
He  will  give  us  a  practical  demonstration  of  His  love.  We 
read,  "  And  God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  unto  you ; 
that  ye,  having  always  all  sufficiency  in  everything,  may  abound 
unto  every  good  work ;  as  it  is  written,  *  He  hath  scattered 
abroad.  He  hath  given  to  the  poor.  His  righteousness  abideth 
forever.'  And  he  that  supplieth  seed  to  the  sower  and  bread 
for  food,  shall  supply  and  multiply  your  seed  for  sowing,  and 
increase  the  fruits  of  your  righteousness ;  ye  being  enriched  in 
everything  unto  all  liberality,  which  worketh  through  us 
thanksgiving  to  God."  This  is  the  way  the  inspired  apostle 
speaks  of  giving  that  is  in  the  right  spirit  and  on  a  worthy 
scale.  He  will  give  us  in  return  far  more  than  we  give  to  Him. 
He  will  so  love  and  bless  those  who  give  as  they  are  able  that 
they  shall  be  able  to  give  more  and  to  enjoy  more.  William 
Colgate  began  to  give  a  tenth  of  all  his  earnings  to  the  Lord. 
God  blessed  him  and  prospered  him  in  his  business.  After 
some  years  he  gave  two-tenths,  and  then  three-tenths,  and  then 
a  half,  and  then  nine-tenths,  and  then  his  entire  income.  Like 
Bunyan's  man,  the  more  he  gave  away,  the  more  he  had. 
Timothy  Coop  was  asked  how  he  could  afford  to  give  so  much. 
He  said,  "  I  shovel  out,  and  the  Lord  shovels  in  ;  and  the  Lord 


The  Grace  of  Giving  177 

has  a  larger  shovel  than  I  have."  His  answer  was  worthy  of 
a  great  and  illuminated  soul.  God  deals  on  a  magnificent 
scale  with  those  He  loves.  He  is  able  to  enrich  us  unto  all 
bountifulness.  We  have  such  expressions  as,  ''all  grace," 
"all  sufficiency,"  "all  good."  Our  Lord  said,  "It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  it  is  to  receive. ' '  The  liberal  soul  shall  be 
made  fat,  and  he  that  waters  others  shall  be  watered  himself. 
When  the  Lord  delights  in  us  He  makes  all  things  work  to- 
gether for  our  good.     His  loving  favour  is  better  than  life. 

Fourthly,  good  is  done  to  the  recipients.  "  The  ministration 
of  this  service  filled  up  the  measure  of  the  wants  of  the  saints." 
The  hungry  would  be  fed.  The  sick  would  be  cared  for.  The 
dying  would  be  relieved.  All  who  were  in  distress  because  of 
the  famine  would  be  helped.  In  blessing  others  they  would  be 
blessed.  With  what  measure  they  meted  out  to  others  it 
would  be  meted  to  them  again.  Lord  Roseberry  says  that  the 
principal  advantage  in  having  wealth  is  that  it  enables  its  pos- 
sessor to  help  those  who  are  in  need.  It  is  in  sharing  and  not 
in  hoarding  that  joy  is  found.  It  does  not  take  much  to  supply 
our  real  needs.  The  limit  in  eating  and  dressing  is  soon 
reached.  One  can  eat  and  wear  only  so  much.  Any  excess 
results  in  injury  and  not  in  increased  efficiency  or  satisfaction. 
A  man  who  undertook  to  support  a  missionary  said  he  found  in 
that  the  greatest  joy  of  his  life.  The  people  who  heard  the 
gospel  through  his  generosity  were  enlightened  and  redeemed, 
and  his  own  soul  was  enlarged  and  ennobled. 

Fifthly,  God  is  glorified.  The  saints  in  Jerusalem  would  in 
consequence  of  the  proved  sincerity  of  the  Corinthians  give 
thanks  to  God  for  their  single-hearted  generosity.  Their  grati- 
tude would  overflow  as  it  were  in  the  form  of  thanksgiving  to 
God.  Instead  of  murmuring  on  account  of  their  suffering  they 
would  praise  and  bless  His  name.  In  addition  to  that,  they 
would  glorify  God,  not  only  for  the  liberal  contributions  of  the 
Christians  in  Corinth,  but  also  for  their  acceptance  of  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.     The  recipients  of  this  bounty  would  recognize 


178  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

more  fully  and  more  unreservedly  the  Christian  standing  of 
their  Gentile  brethren.  They  had  serious  doubts  on  this  score. 
They  had  heard  evil  reports  about  Paul  and  about  the  character 
of  His  work.  The  money  sent  would  overcome  prejudice  and 
antipathy  and  would  create  a  bond  of  love  with  men  of  a  dif- 
ferent race.  The  distrust  and  contempt  that  had  been  cherished 
heretofore  would  be  done  away.  Jew  and  Gentile  would  rec- 
ognize their  oneness  in  Christ.  More  than  that ;  the  Jerusalem 
saints  would  pray  to  God  on  their  behalf  and  would  long  to  see 
them.  Nothing  is  more  natural  than  for  those  who  have  been 
helped  in  the  day  of  their  need  to  intercede  for  those  who  have 
assisted  them.  Their  thought  is,  "  Jehovah  bless  you  and  keep 
you  ;  Jehovah  make  His  face  to  shine  upon  you  and  be  gracious 
unto  you ;  Jehovah  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  you,  and  give 
you  peace." 

Paul  closes  the  discussion  of  this  topic  with  this  outburst  of 
gratitude,  "  Thanks  be  to  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift."  The 
unspeakable  gift  was  Jesus  Christ  His  Son.  This  one  gift  in- 
cludes all  others.  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave 
His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  might 
not  perish  but  have  eternal  life.  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we 
loved  God,  but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent  His  Son  to  be  the 
propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins 
of  the  whole  world.  He  that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  de- 
livered Him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not  also  with  Him  freely 
give  us  all  things  ?  It  becomes  those  who  claim  to  have 
been  bought  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  and  to  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  give  amply  and  joyfully,  even  as  God  Himself 
has  given.  This  glimpse  into  the  heart  of  God  should  shame 
all  selfishness  and  littleness.  It  should  cause  His  people  to  offer 
willingly  in  the  day  of  His  power.  "  Be  ye  imitators  of  God, 
as  beloved  children." 

VI.  Some  thoughts  suggested  by  this  study.  First,  giving  is 
a  religious  act.  It  is  spoken  of  in  the  Greek  as  a  *' liturgy." 
Elsewhere  the  same  writer  speaks  of  a  gift  of  money  as  an 


The  Grace  of  Giving  179 

"  odour  of  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to 
God."  What  is  done  to  the  least  of  Christ's  brethren  is  done 
to  Him.     Lowell  represents  the  Master  as  saying, 

**  Who  gives  himself  with  his  alms  feeds  three. 
Himself,  his  hungering  neighbour,  and  Me." 

In  this  passage  the  religious  side  is  emphasized  no  less  than  the 
humanitarian.  The  collection  for  the  poor  saints  would 
relieve  suffering  in  Jerusalem,  and  it  would  at  the  same  time 
honour  God.  Giving  money  for  the  Lord's  cause  is  as 
religious  as  praying  or  preaching  or  coming  to  the  communion 
table.  In  ancient  times  the  Lord's  tithe  was  withheld.  The 
people  thought  He  would  not  notice  or  care.  But  He  did 
notice ;  He  did  care.  He  told  them  that  in  withholding  the 
tithe  they  were  robbing  Him.  He  commanded  them  to  bring 
the  whole  tithe  into  the  storehouse,  that  there  might  be  meat  in 
His  house,  and  prove  Him  herewith,if  He  would  not  open  the 
windows  of  heaven  and  pour  them  out  a  blessing,  that  there 
would  not  be  room  to  receive  it. 

Secondly,  giving  is  a  proof  of  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul. 
The  apostle  called  upon  the  Corinthians  to  show  by  their  gifts 
the  proof  of  their  love.  The  generous  man  convinces  all  men 
of  the  reality  and  sincerity  of  his  professions.  Men  understand 
such  a  test  as  that.  Words  are  cheap.  Men  listen  and  are 
unmoved.  But  spontaneous  and  joyful  giving  staggers  them. 
They  have  no  answer  to  Christlike  conduct.  Such  giving  is 
among  the  very  best  evidences  of  Christianity.  Here  is 
evidence  of  which  all  can  judge.  The  cheerful  and  liberal 
giver  exerts  a  wider  and  more  powerful  influence  than  we  often 
suspect.  The  man  who  gives  as  he  is  able  causes  those  about 
him  to  glorify  God.  Some  will  follow  in  his  steps  because 
they  are  convinced  that  he  has  been  born  of  God  and  knows 
God.  When  the  church  is  bountiful  in  its  giving  it  is  patent 
that  a  work  of  sovereign  grace  has  been  wrought.  Even  the 
indifferent   and   profane  praise  God  for  such  an  exhibition. 


l8o  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Earnest  souls  are  repelled  by  illiberality  in  those  who  claim  to 
be  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  They  regard  all  such  with 
aversion  and  contempt. 

Our  giving  will  be  measured  by  the  life  of  God  in  us,  and 
the  essence  of  that  Hfe  is  love.  If  all  Christians  were  filled  up 
unto  all  the  fullness  of  God  there  would  be  money  enough  for 
all  purposes  and  more  than  enough.  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon  was 
one  of  the  most  successful  missionary  advocates  of  his  time. 
He  preached  for  a  church  that  was  not  rich.  Only  two  or 
three  of  the  members  were  rich,  and  they  gave  but  little.  One 
offering  amounted  to  twenty  thousand  dollars.  In  five  years 
that  church  gave  eighty-five  thousand  dollars  for  work  outside 
itself.  His  constant  endeavour  was  to  get  the  members  into 
closer  fellowship  with  Christ.  Once  he  said,  "  I  am  tempted 
never  to  beg  a  cent  for  God  again,  but,  rather,  to  spend  my 
energy  in  getting  Christians  spiritualized,  assured  that  then 
they  will  be  liberalized."  And  again,  "  Experts  in  such  mat- 
ters say  that  a  bottle  of  wine  that  cannot  throw  its  own  cork  is 
rarely  good  for  much.  Certainly  a  Christian's  prayers  and 
gifts  and  testimonies  are  of  little  value  if  they  do  not  come 
forth  of  the  effervescence  of  strong  spiritual  joy.  For  one,  I 
am  tired  of  the  corkscrew  to  draw  out  of  Christians  the  offer- 
ings and  prayers  and  services  which,  to  be  of  real  value,  should 
be  spontaneous.  I  shall  continue  to  pray  and  persuade  and 
plead,  but  I  shall  not  beg  you  to  do  your  duty.  ^  My  people 
shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  My  power,  says  the  Lord.'" 
Before  the  day  for  the  offering  for  missions  a  week  was  spent  in 
prayer  and  praise.  In  that  atmosphere  the  offerings  were 
made.  The  people  gave  largely  and  jubilantly,  and  praised 
the  Lord  for  what  He  had  put  into  their  hearts  and  power  to 
do. 

Thirdly,  it  is  a  Christlike  thing  to  lead  others  to  give. 
Paul  refers  to  Titus  and  gives  thanks  to  God  for  putting  the 
same  earnest  care  for  the  Corinthians  into  his  heart.  Titus 
travelled  among  the  churches  in  the  matter  of  this  grace  and 


The  Grace  of  Giving  i8l 

urged  them  to  have  their  offering  ready,  before  the  arrival  of 
the  apostle  and  his  companions.  To  stimulate  beneficence  is 
one  of  the  highest  ministries  on  earth.  No  one  can  do  another  a 
greater  service  than  to  take  him  out  of  himself  and  inspire  him 
with  a  genuine  concern  for  the  welfare  of  others.  "It  is  not 
he  who  gives  me  a  good  thing,  but  he  who  stimulates  me  to  do 
a  good  thing,  who  is  my  greatest  benefactor."  There  is  no 
nobler  office  than  this  ;  there  is  none  more  fruitful.  For  this 
reason  no  one  should  seek  to  avoid  one  who  seeks  to  do  him 
good  by  enlarging  his  soul.  He  is  a  friend  and  not  an 
enemy.  It  is  not  to  our  credit  that  a  solicitor  for  a  worthy 
case  is  not  always  an  acceptable  visitor.  Paul  spoke  of  Titus 
and  his  associate  as  "  the  messengers  of  the  churches,  as  the 
glory  of  Christ." 

Fourthly,  this  grace  is  one  that  calls  for  special  cultivation. 
"  But  as  ye  abound  in  everything,  in  faith,  and  utterance,  and 
knowledge,  and  in  all  earnestness,  and  in  your  love  to  us,  see 
that  ye  abound  in  this  grace  also."  Paul  had  a  great  soul. 
He  did  great  things  in  a  great  way.  He  wished  all  believers 
to  do  the  same.  He  sounds  the  notes  of  abundance  and 
superabundance.  Nothing  less  would  be  worthy  of  their  high 
caUing,  and  worthy  of  Him  who  bought  them  with  His  own 
blood.  They  had  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  were 
intelligent  and  eloquent.  They  were  noted  for  their  zeal  and 
affection.  As  they  abounded  in  these  graces,  they  were  urged 
to  abound  in  the  grace  of  liberality  also.  Like  all  other  graces 
this  one  is  developed  by  exercise.  The  more  we  give  the 
more  we  feel  able  to  give  and  the  more  we  do  give. 

Small  giving  is  the  curse  and  shame  of  our  day.  It  is  not 
that  we  need  more  money  in  our  purses,  but  that  we  need 
more  of  the  grace  of  God  in  our  hearts.  Christian  people  are 
not  giving  as  much  now,  all  things  considered,  as  they  did 
fifty  years  ago.  Never  was  there  greater  need  of  emphasizing  the 
words,  ''Take  heed  and  beware  of  covetousness. "  People 
are  in  haste  to  be  rich.     They  are  money  mad.     As  a  result 


i82  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

they  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare  and  into  many  foolish  and 
hurtful  lusts,  such  as  drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition. 
Robertson  says  riches  shut  up  the  soul.  He  says,  *'Noman 
fears  riches,  yet  it  is  a  fact,  generally,  that  a  man's  liberality 
does  not  increase  in  proportion  as  he  grows  rich.  It  is  exactly 
the  reverse.  He  extends  his  desires.  Luxuries  become 
necessities.  He  must  move  in  another  sphere,  keep  more 
servants,  and  take  a  larger  house.  And  so  in  the  end  he  gives 
proportionately  less  than  he  did  before."  Some  years  ago  it 
was  discovered  that  the  aristocracy  of  England  gave  six 
thousand  dollars  a  year  for  missions.  The  rest  of  the  people 
of  England  gave  several  millions.  The  most  splendid 
aristocracy  in  the  world  gave  a  pittance ;  the  work  was  carried 
on  by  the  gifts  of  those  of  humbler  rank  and  smaller 
possessions.  Let  it  be  known  and  remembered  that  covetous- 
ness  may  exist  where  there  is  little  or  no  riches.  What  is 
needed  is  that  we  resist  its  debasing  influence.  The  surest 
way  to  do  that,  perhaps  the  only  way,  is  to  maintain  the  habit 
of  generous  and  joyful  giving.  With  God's  help  this  can  be 
done ;  for  with  God  all  things  are  possible.  As  we  abound  in 
the  other  graces  of  the  divine  life,  we  should  see  to  it  that  we 
abound  in  the  grace  of  giving  also.  By  doing  this  we  shall 
help  Christ  save  the  world  and  in  doing  this  we  shall  save  our 
own  souls.  So  shall  we  honour  Him  who  loved  us  and  gave 
Himself  up  on  the  cross  for  our  redemption. 


XVI 

"IN  THE  MATTER  OF  GIVING  AND  RECEIVING" 
Phil.  4  :  10-19. 

THE  Philippians  did  the  giving ;  Paul  did  the  receiv- 
ing. While  he  was  with  them  they  ministered  to  his 
need.  When  he  left  them  to  carry  on  missionary 
work  in  the  regions  beyond  they  followed  him  with  substantial 
tokens  of  their  loving  interest  in  him  and  in  his  work.  He 
adds  that  "even  in  Thessalonica  "  they  sent  once  and  again 
to  his  need.  For  a  time  indeed  he  received  nothing  from 
them ;  but  this  was  not  owing  to  any  fault  of  theirs.  They  did 
take  thought  of  him,  but  they  lacked  opportunity  of  communi- 
cating with  him.  Now  their  thought  of  him  revived,  as  trees 
revive  when  the  winter  is  over,  and  they  found  a  suitable  mes- 
senger in  the  person  of  Epaphroditus,  Paul's  fellow-worker 
and  fellow-soldier,  and  their  servant.  By  his  hands  they  sent 
gifts  which  relieved  his  necessities  and  refreshed  his  spirit. 
Their  action  in  this  matter  was  the  more  noteworthy  and 
honourable  because  no  other  church  did  so.  The  fact  that  it 
was  fashionable  to  let  the  great  apostle  shift  for  himself  did  not 
affect  the  believers  in  Philippi.  They  acted  without  regard  to 
the  older  and  richer  churches. 

Paul  was  chosen  of  God  to  bear  the  name  of  Christ  before 
kings  and  pagan  nations  and  before  the  people  of  Israel.  It 
was  his  high  privilege  to  be  a  witness  and  a  worker  for  his  Lord. 
Paul  was  the  greatest  man  of  his  age  and  the  greatest  man  of 
all  time.  Martineau  speaks  of  him  as  the  travelled  ambassador 
of  Christ,  who  snatched  Christianity  from  the  hands  of  a  local 
faction  and  made  it  a  universal  faith,  whose  powerful  word 

183 


184  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

shook  all  the  gods  from  Cyprus  to  Gibraltar,  who  turned  the 
tide  of  history  and  thought,  giving  us  the  organization  of 
Christendom  for  the  legions  of  Rome,  and  for  Zeno  and 
Epicurus,  Augustine,  Eckhart  and  Luther.  Fairbairn  speaks 
of  Paul  as  a  foremost  king  of  men,  reigning  by  his  imperish- 
able words,  clearest  interpreter  of  the  deepest  mysteries  of 
being,  shaping  noblest  spirits  to  noblest  uses,  forming  the  men 
that  lead  the  nations,  making  the  men  that  make  the  thought 
and  the  faith  and  the  freedom  of  the  world.  In  his  own  time 
he  was  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  men  that  had  turned  the  world 
upside  down.  In  labour  he  was  more  abundant  than  all  the 
other  apostles  combined. 

The  Philippians  had  none  of  Paul's  genius.  They  could 
not  preach  with  his  eloquence.  They  could  not  help  him  in 
writing  those  immortal  documents,  the  Epistles  to  the  Romans, 
to  the  Corinthians,  to  the  Galatians,  to  the  Ephesians.  They 
could  not  advise  him  how  to  proceed  in  entering  new  territory 
and  how  to  prosecute  the  work  to  which  he  had  been  called  by 
the  Spirit  of  God.  But  they  could  and  did  contribute  to  his 
material  and  moral  support.  They  relieved  him  to  some  extent 
of  labouring  with  his  hands  to  supply  his  own  needs,  and  thus 
placed  him  in  a  better  position  for  carrying  on  his  evangelistic 
campaigns. 

In  Corinth  and  in  Thessalonica  Paul  wrought  at  his  trade 
and  would  eat  no  man's  bread  for  nought,  but  in  labour  and 
travail,  he  worked  day  and  night,  that  he  might  not  be  a  bur- 
den to  any.  He  had  a  right  to  a  support.  "  For  even  so  hath 
the  Lord  ordained  that  they  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live 
of  the  gospel."  But  he  did  not  use  his  right  to  the  full,  that 
he  might  preach  the  gospel  in  those  cities  without  charge. 
He  waived  his  right  that  he  might  give  the  Judaizers  no  ground 
for  accusing  him  of  covetousness.  His  relations  with  the 
Philippians  were  more  intimate  and  confidential.  He  could 
accept  their  gifts  without  subjecting  himself  to  criticism  or 
creating  the  impression  that  he  was  more  concerned  about 


"  In  the  Matter  of  Giving  and  Receiving"     185 

their  money  than  he  was  about  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 
For  this  reason  the  gifts  they  sent  were  gladly  and  gratefully 
received. 

Paul  could  travel  and  preach  and  establish  churches.  God 
had  given  him  a  great  intellect  and  a  great  soul.  He  endowed 
him  with  the  rare  and  wondrous  gift  of  eloquence.  Paul  was 
educated  in  all  the  learning  of  his  race.  Great  and  effectual 
doors  were  opened  before  him.  As  long  as  his  wants  were 
supplied  he  travelled  and  preached  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  He  did  not  care  for  dainties  and  luxuries.  He  was  a 
soldier  and  he  cared  for  only  that  which  was  necessary.  It  was 
only  when  supplies  failed  that  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  tent- 
maker.  Like  Agassiz,  Paul  had  no  time  to  make  money ;  he 
had  a  greater  work  to  do.  The  Philippians  did  not  have  the 
same  gifts  or  the  same  opportunities.  They  worked  with  their 
hands  and  gave  to  the  extent  of  their  power,  yea,  and  beyond 
their  power.  He  did  what  he  was  best  qualified  to  do,  and 
they  did  what  they  were  best  qualified  to  do.  The 
Lord's  cause  was  greatly  advantaged  by  this  division  of  labour. 

Gifted,  as  he  was,  and  called  of  God  as  he  was,  and  with 
such  openings  on  all  sides,  Paul's  feeling  was  this,  '*  Woe  is 
unto  me  if  I  do  not  preach  the  gospel."  That  was  the  special 
work  the  Lord  wanted  him  to  do.  He  was  the  one  man  living 
best  fitted  to  do  it.  If  he  should  undertake  to  make  money 
when  the  Lord  called  him  to  serve  as  a  missionary,  the 
triumph  of  the  gospel  would  be  arrested.  No  other  living 
man  could  do  his  work.  The  Philippians  could  make  money 
and  aid  in  that  way.  It  may  be  that  their  feeling  was  this, 
*' Woe  is  unto  us  if  we  do  not  do  so."  The  will  of  God  for 
them  was  that  they  should  aid  according  to  their  ability  and 
privilege.  They  were  not  their  own,  they  had  been  bought 
with  a  price.  They  were  under  as  much  obligation  as  was 
Paul  to  do  all  in  their  power  towards  the  evangelization  of  the 
world.  If  they  failed  in  this  they  would  not  be  able  to  say 
that  they  were  free  from  the  blood  of  all  men.     The  record 


i86  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

shows  that  Paul  was  sustained  in  his  work  by  their  generous 
and  gracious  assistance.  He  spoke  in  Athens,  the  intellectual 
centre  of  the  world ;  in  Rome,  the  governmental  centre ;  in 
Ephesus  and  Corinth  and  other  cities,  with  greater  freedom 
and  power  because  he  partook  of  their  bounty.  Apart  from 
them  his  great  work  could  not  have  been  done  as  it  was  done ; 
his  noble  life  could  not  have  been  lived  as  it  was  lived ;  he 
could  not  have  attained  the  measure  of  perfection  to  which  he 
did  attain.  If  they  had  failed  in  their  duty,  it  may  be  that  he 
would  have  fainted  and  fallen  and  died. 

The  apostle  commended  them  because  they  had  fellowship 
with  him  in  his  service  and  in  his  affliction.  The  Philippians 
did  not  say  to  him,  ''  Be  you  warmed  and  filled,  and  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Lord  be  upon  you,"  while  they  clung  to  their 
money.  Had  they  done  so  he  would  have  been  hindered  in  his 
work,  and  the  Lord  would  have  been  grieved.  They  partook 
of  the  priceless  spiritual  gifts  which  he  had  bestowed  upon 
them,  and  it  was  only  fitting  that  he  should  now  partake  of  their 
temporal  things.  They  were  his  children  in  the  faith ;  they 
owed  him  their  own  souls  ;  it  was  proper  that  from  time  to  time 
they  should  send  him  the  things  that  he  needed  for  his  welfare 
and  efficiency.  While  he  commended  them  so  cordially  for 
what  they  had  done  he  wished  them  to  know  that  with  him 
*'  gratitude  was  not  a  lively  sense  of  favours  yet  to  be  received." 
He  tells  them  that  he  has  all  he  needs.  "I  have  all  things, 
and  abound ;  I  am  filled."  He  repeats  this  thought  three  times 
for  the  sake  of  clearness  and  emphasis.  He  wished  them  to 
know  how  he  felt.  He  was  concerned  on  their  account  and 
not  on  his  own.  He  did  not  wish  anything  for  himself ;  he  did 
wish  interest  to  accumulate  to  their  credit. 

The  relation  that  existed  between  this  church  and  the  great 
missionary  to  the  nations  is  the  relation  that  should  exist  be- 
tween the  churches  of  Christ  everywhere  and  the  missionaries 
in  the  service  now.  The  churches  should  do  the  giving ;  the 
missionaries  on  the  field  should  do  the  receiving.     Thus  both 


*'  In  the  Matter  of  Giving  and  Receiving  "     187 

would  be  blessed  and  God  would  be  honoured  and  His  King- 
dom would  be  advanced  in  the  world.  The  missionaries  have 
gone  out  at  the  call  of  God  and  at  the  call  of  their  brethren. 
It  is  contrary  to  the  will  of  God  that  they  should  support  them- 
selves. They  should  give  themselves  constantly  to  prayer  and 
to  the  ministry  of  the  word.  Those  who  are  called  to  remain 
at  home  are  to  have  a  full  share  in  the  work.  They  are  to 
manifest  the  same  degree  of  consecration  and  make  as  great 
sacrifices  as  they  expect  in  those  who  are  at  the  front.  Every 
Christian  who  is  not  a  receiver  should  be  a  giver.  God's  in- 
tention is  that  every  believer  should  be  in  one  class  or  the 
other.  Every  redeemed  soul  is  to  have  fellowship  with  Christ 
and  the  chosen  servants  of  Christ  in  the  defense  and  propaga- 
tion of  the  gospel. 

Let  no  one  think  that  giving  for  the  Lord's  work  is  a  matter 
of  small  consequence.  It  is  far  otherwise.  One  who  works 
hard  and  economizes  and  gives  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  may 
do  as  much  for  the  spread  and  triumph  of  the  truth  as  one  who 
goes  out  as  a  missionary.  He  may  manifest  as  much  faith  and 
devotion.  In  any  event,  his  reward  will  be  sure  and  it  will  be 
great.  In  ancient  times  the  statute  said,  "As  is  his  share  that 
goeth  down  to  battle,  so  shall  his  share  be  that  tarrieth  by  the 
stuff;  they  shall  share  alike."  The  will  of  God  is  that  those 
who  give  and  those  who  receive  shall  rejoice  together.  The 
bountiful  and  cheerful  givers  in  Philippi  were  told  that  their 
offerings  were  an  odour  of  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable, 
well-pleasing  to  God.  They  were  told  also  that  God  would 
supply  every  need  of  theirs  according  to  His  riches  in  glory  in 
Christ  Jesus.  It  was  in  this  way  that  the  Most  High  would 
deal  with  those  who  contributed  to  the  need  of  His  servant 
while  he  was  acting  as  a  foreign  missionary.  What  He  did 
then  He  will  do  now ;  for  with  Him  there  is  no  variableness  or 
shadow  that  is  cast  by  turning. 


XVII 

FELLOWSHIP   IN    FURTHERANCE  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

/  thank  my  God  upon  all  my  remembrance  of  yoUy  always  in  every 
supplication  of  mine  on  behalf  of  you  all  making  my  supplica- 
tions with  joy,  for  your  fellowship  in  furtherance  of  the  gospet 
from  the  first  day  until  now  ;  being  confident  of  this  very  thing, 
that  He  who  began  a  good  work  in  you  will  perfect  it  until  the 
day  of  Jesus  Christ ;  even  as  it  is  right  for  me  to  be  thus 
minded  on  behalf  of  you  ally  because  I  have  you  in  my  heart , 
inasmuch  as,  both  in  my  bonds  and  in  the  defense  and  confirma- 
tion of  the  gospel,  ye  all  are  partakers  with  me  of  grace. 
— Phil,  i  :  3-7. 

PAUL  told  the  Philippians  that  he  thanked  God  upon  all 
his  remembrance  of  them  from  their  fellowship  in 
furtherance  of  the  gospel.  He  refers  to  their  coopera- 
tion in  the  widest  sense,  in  sympathy,  in  suffering,  in  active 
labour,  or  in  any  other  way.  At  the  same  time  their  liberal 
giving  of  money  was  a  signal  instance  of  their  cooperation,  and 
appears  to  have  been  foremost  in  his  mind.  In  this  respect 
their  cooperation  began  in  what  he  calls  "  the  beginning  of  the 
gospel,  when  he  departed  from  Macedonia."  Alluding  to  that 
time  he  said,  *'  No  church  had  fellowship  with  me  in  the  matter 
of  giving  and  receiving  but  ye  only ;  for  even  in  Thessalonica 
ye  sent  once  and  again  unto  my  need." 

This  fellowship  in  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel  continued 
*'  from  the  first  day  until  now  "  ;  a  period  of  about  ten  years. 
He  had  just  received  the  gifts  which  they  had  sent  by  the  hand 
of  Epaphroditus.  Their  interest  in  the  gospel  and  its  illustri- 
ous representative  was  profound  and  permanent.     It  was  not 

188 


Fellowship  in  Furtherance  of  the  Gospel     189 

like  the  prophet's  gourd  that  sprang  up  in  a  night  and 
perished  in  a  night.  It  persisted  in  spite  of  trials  and  losses. 
The  apostle's  absence  did  not  diminish  their  ardour.  From 
the  very  beginning  they  made  the  cause  of  Christ  their 
own.  They  embarked  in  it  heart  and  soul.  They  gave 
of  their  substance  to  the  extent  of  their  power,  yea,  and 
beyond  their  power.  They  gave  their  ownselves  first  to 
the  Lord,  and  afterwards  they  gave  their  service  and  their 
money  for  the  advancement  of  the  interests  of  His  King- 
dom. The  apostle  tells  them  that  in  his  bonds  and  in  the  de- 
fense and  confirmation  of  the  gospel  they  were  partakers  with 
Him  of  the  grace  of  God.  Their  sympathy  and  loving 
thoughtfulness  cheered  and  charmed  him  while  a  prisoner  in 
Rome.  Their  supplications  to  God  on  his  behalf  and  their 
generous  contributions  helped  him  mightily  as  he  sought  to 
answer  objections  and  to  remove  obstacles  and  prejudices,  and 
nerved  him  for  the  successful  advocacy  and  propagation  of  the 
gospel.  Paul  was  a  flaming  torch.  He  was  an  incarnation  of 
the  missionary  passion.  He  went  everywhere  speaking  good 
words  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  But  behind  him  and  reinforcing 
him  was  the  whole  Philippian  church.  Because  of  its  moral 
and  material  support  he  did  not  bate  a  jot  of  heart  or  hope  in 
the  presence  of  manifold  persecutions  and  difficulties,  but 
still  bore  up  and  pressed  right  onward.  As  he  went  from 
continent  to  continent  and  from  city  to  city  preaching  Christ 
to  Greeks  and  Barbarians,  to  the  wise  and  to  the  foolish ;  as 
he  sought  to  win  the  members  of  the  Pretorian  Guard  to  the 
faith  as  they  were  chained  to  him  in  turn ;  as  he  bore  witness 
to  all  who  resorted  to  him  in  his  own  hired  house  and  to  the 
saints  in  Caesar's  household  ;  he  was  sustained  by  what  they 
had  done  and  were  doing  for  him.  The  least  of  them  could 
and  did  support  him  in  his  abundant  labours  and  sufferings. 
Grace  had  been  given  him  to  labour  and  to  endure ;  the  same 
grace  had  been  given  them. 

The  one  great  object  of  Paul's  life  was  that  Christ  might  be 


igo  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

magnified,  whether  by  his  life  or  by  his  death.  He  was  pos- 
sessed absolutely  with  a  sense  of  the  worthiness  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  to  be  preached  everywhere.  He  felt  this  for  himself 
with  all  the  power  of  his  great  intellect  and  great  soul,  and  he 
rejoiced  and  gave  thanks  to  God  when  he  saw  a  church  show- 
ing the  same  devoted  spirit,  and  showing  this  by  cleaving  to 
him  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  work,  and  following  him 
everywhere  with  their  sympathy  and  prayer.  Other  churches 
were  occupied  with  themselves  and  their  own  little  and  local 
affairs.  Their  zeal  was  as  transient  as  the  early  cloud  and  as 
the  morning  dew.  The  Galatians  were  warmly  attached  to  the 
apostle  and  to  the  gospel  he  preached  for  a  season.  He  says 
that  if  it  had  been  possible  they  would  have  plucked  out  their 
own  eyes  and  given  them  to  him.  In  a  short  time  he  lamented 
that  they  were  so  soon  removing  from  him  to  another  gospel. 
They  came  to  regard  him  almost  as  an  enemy.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  the  apostle  to  vindicate  himself  from  the  attacks  that 
were  made  on  him.  It  was  not  so  in  Philippi.  The  believers 
there  understood  him ;  they  possessed  his  spirit ;  they  partook 
of  his  boundless  enthusiasm  ;  they  had  a  share  in  all  that 
affected  the  gospel  and  him  as  its  advocate  and  champion. 

Paul  speaks  of  "being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  he 
who  began  a  good  work  will  perfect  it  until  the  day  of  Christ." 
By  this  good  work  he  means  the  implantation  of  the  missionary 
spirit.  It  was  that  spirit  that  led  to  the  consecration  of  them- 
selves, their  souls  and  their  bodies  and  substance  to  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world.  As  the  first-fruits  of  the  European 
mission  the  church  in  Philippi  entered  most  heartily  into  all 
Paul's  purposes  and  plans  and  did  what  it  could  to  strengthen 
his  heart  and  his  hands.  The  cordial  cooperation  of  the  entire 
membership  convinced  the  apostle  that  God  was  in  them  to  will 
and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure.  He  knew  that  Christian  people 
may  support  the  missionary  enterprise  as  a  substitute  for  the  in- 
ward life,  or  out  of  sectarian  competition,  or  for  some  other  un- 
worthy motive,  but  such  support  does  not  last  long.     But  when 


Fellowship  in  Furtherance  of  the  Gospel      191 

their  interest  in  promoting  the  gospel  continues  for  a  long  period, 
notwithstanding  opposition  and  persecution,  it  must  be  because 
their  lives  are  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  So  sincere  and  so 
earnest  were  the  Christians  in  Philippi  that  Paul  was  confident 
that  they  would  stand  fast  till  the  day  of  Christ's  advent.  He 
who  inaugurated  the  good  work  would  complete  the  same. 

The  apostle  was  grateful,  not  for  what  the  church  had  done 
for  him  as  an  individual  Christian,  but  for  what  it  had  done  for 
him  while  labouring  for  the  spread  and  triumph  of  the  gospel. 
For  himself  he  says  he  had  learned  in  whatsoever  state  he  was, 
therewith  to  be  content.  In  everything  and  in  all  things  he 
had  learned  the  secret,  both  to  be  filled  and  to  be  hungry, 
both  to  abound  and  to  be  in  want.  Nevertheless  he  tells  them 
that  they  did  well  to  have  fellowship  with  him  in  his  affliction. 
Lightfoot  says  it  was  not  the  actual  pecuniary  relief,  so  much  as 
the  sympathy  and  companionship  in  his  sorrow,  that  the  apos- 
tle valued.  He  did  not  compliment  them  as  he  did  with  a 
view  to  securing  further  gifts ;  he  disclaims  any  such  intention. 
He  did  not  want  a  ''gift"  ;  he  did  want  ''fruit  that  might 
increase  to  their  account."  It  was  for  their  sake  and  not  for 
his  own  that  he  spoke  as  he  did.  He  assures  them  that  the 
gift  sent  him  was  an  odour  of  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable, 
well-pleasing  to  God. 

It  was  for  such  a  church  that  the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles 
gave  thanks  to  God  continually.  This  was  a  mission  church 
and  a  missionary  church.  In  response  to  the  call  of  the  man 
of  Macedonia  Paul  crossed  over  from  Troas  to  Philippi.  The 
church  was  no  sooner  established  than  it  began  to  help  give 
the  gospel  to  the  cities  and  countries  adjacent.  The  apostle 
says  that  in  much  proof  of  affliction  the  abundance  of  their  joy 
and  deep  poverty  abounded  unto  the  riches  of  their  liberality. 
Paul  was  thankful  for  what  they  had  done  and  for  what  he 
knew  they  would  do.  Their  history  justified  his  confidence  in 
them  for  the  future.  They  were  his  children  in  the  faith  and 
he  had  boundless  confidence  in  them  and  boundless  love  for 


192  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

them.  He  speaks  of  them  as  his  "joy  and  crown,  his  dearly 
beloved  and  eagerly  desired."  God  was  his  witness  how  he 
yearned  after  them  all  in  the  tender  mercies  of  Christ  Jesus. 
He  was  proud  of  this  church  and  grateful  for  its  record  and 
for  its  future  sacrifices  and  services. 

The  church  in  Philippi  was  held  up  before  other  churches  to 
provoke  them  to  do  far  more  than  they  had  been  doing.  It  can 
be  held  up  before  churches  to-day  for  the  same  purpose.  For 
what  the  Holy  Spirit  approved  in  the  first  century  He  will  ap- 
prove in  the  twentieth.  Every  church  that  would  have  His 
approval  and  blessing  now  must  have  fellowship  with  other 
churches  and  with  the  Founder  of  the  church  in  the  further- 
ance of  the  gospel.  Its  ambition  should  be  to  be  and  to  be 
known  as  a  missionary  church.  That  is  a  worthier  ambition 
than  to  be  known  as  the  church  with  the  costliest  building,  or 
the  most  eloquent  minister,  or  the  largest  organ,  or  the  best 
choir,  or  the  largest  and  richest  membership.  The  church  ex- 
ists to  help  Christ  seek  and  save  the  lost ;  this  is  its  sole  and 
its  supreme  business.  The  entire  membership  of  the  church  in 
Philippi  was  enlisted.  Paul  says,  "  Ye  are  all  partakers  with 
me  of  grace."  The  gifts  were  not  made  and  the  burdens 
borne  by  a  few.  The  same  should  be  true  of  every  church  on 
earth  to-day.  Every  member  should  be  enrolled  as  a  contribu- 
tor. The  youngest  and  the  poorest  member,  as  well  as  the  oldest 
and  richest,  and  all  between  these  extremes,  should  aid  ac- 
cording to  the  ability  that  God  has  given.  Every  soul  that 
intelligently  and  honestly  accepts  Jesus  as  Lord  should  be 
willing  and  eager  to  do  what  is  in  his  power,  that  they  may 
see  to  whom  no  tidings  of  Him  came,  and  they  that  have  not 
heard  may  understand.  The  missionary  spirit  is  an  indubita- 
ble proof  of  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul.  The  absence  of  it  is 
positive  proof  that  the  gospel  has  been  received  only  nominally. 
The  Philippian  church  did  not  make  one  generous  offering  and 
then  sit  down  contented,  feeling  that  it  had  done  its  full  duty. 
There  was  nothing  spasmodic  or  sporadic  about  its  giving.     It 


Fellowship  in  Furtherance  of  the  Gospel     193 

began  at  "the  first  day"  and  continued  till  the  time  the 
apostle  wrote.  Moreover  he  felt  assured  that  they  were  going 
to  keep  right  on  for  all  time  to  come.  That  was  as  it  should 
be  now.  The  habit  of  giving  should  be  formed,  so  that  the 
offerings  may  be  as  confidently  expected  as  the  coming  of  the 
seasons.  Now  as  then  the  church  needs  to  do  this  for  its  own 
sake,  no  less  than  for  the  sake  of  the  world  that  lies  in  the 
wicked  one.  The  church  is  saved  from  selfishness  and  from 
provincialism  and  from  worldliness  and  from  a  thousand  other 
evils  by  its  devotion  to  the  cause  of  world-wide  evangelism. 
God  will  honour  the  church  that  honours  Him  by  doing  its 
duty;  He  cannot  honour  and  prosper  the  church  that  does 
not.  It  is  true  to-day  as  it  was  when  Paul  wrote  that  money 
given  for  the  gospel's  sake  is  an  odour  of  sweet  smell,  a  sacri- 
fice acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God. 

If  all  our  churches  were  like  the  church  in  Philippi  we  could 
take  the  world  for  Christ  in  a  generation.  For  every  such 
church  among  us  those  who  are  responsible  for  the  manage- 
ment and  maintenance  of  our  missionary  societies  thank  God 
upon  all  remembrance  of  it. 


XVIII 

"MAKE  ME  A  LITTLE  CAKE  FIRST" 

But  of  a  truth  I  say  unto  yoUy  There  were  many  widows  in  Israel 
in  the  days  of  Elijah,  when  the  heaven  was  shut  up  three  years 
and  six  months,  when  there  came  a  great  famine  over  all  the 
land ;  but  unto  none  of  them  was  Elijah  sent,  but  only  to  Zare- 
phath,  in  the  land  of  Sidon,  unto  a  woman  that  was  a  widow, 
— Luke  4.  25,  26.     Compare  i  Kings  17  :  8-16. 

IN  the  time  of  famine  Elijah  was  told  to  go  to  Zarephath, 
for  the  Lord  had  commanded  a  widow  there  to  sustain 
him.  Coming  to  the  gate  of  the  city  he  saw  the  widow 
gathering  sticks,  and  said  to  her,  **  Fetch  me,  I  pray  thee,  a 
little  water  in  a  vessel,  that  I  may  drink."  As  she  went  to 
fetch  the  water  he  said,  "  Bring  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  morsel  of 
bread  in  thy  hand."  The  widow  replied,  "As  Jehovah,  thy 
God  liveth,  I  have  not  a  cake,  but  a  handful  of  meal  in  the  jar, 
and  a  little  oil  in  the  cruse ;  and  behold,  I  am  gathering  two 
sticks,  that  I  may  go  in  and  dress  it  for  me  and  my  son,  that 
we  may  eat  it,  and  die."  Elijah  said,  **Fear  not;  go  and  do 
as  thou  hast  said ;  but  make  me  thereof  a  little  cake  first,  and 
bring  it  unto  me,  and  afterwards  make  for  thee  and  for  thy  son. " 
This  demand  may  wear  a  harsh  and  selfish  aspect ;  but  it  was 
not  that.  The  prophet  of  the  Lord  sought  to  test  and  to  de- 
velop her  faith.  He  added,  "  For  thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  God 
of  Israel,  The  jar  of  meal  shall  not  waste,  neither  shall  the 
cruse  of  oil  fail,  until  the  day  that  Jehovah  sendeth  rain  upon 
the  earth."  The  widow  believed  God  and  obeyed  the  will  of 
His  servant,   and  she,  and  he,  and  her  house,  did  eat  many 

194 


"Make  Me  a  Little  Cake  First"         195 

days.  The  jar  of  meal  wasted  not,  neither  did  the  cruse  of 
oil  fail,  according  to  the  word  of  Jehovah,  which  He  spoke  by 
Elijah. 

The  thought  in  this  story  that  needs  emphasis  is  found  in 
the  words,  **  Make  me  thereof  a  little  cake  first."  There  is 
an  axiom  to  the  effect  that  self-preservation  is  the  first  law  of 
nature.  That  may  be  true  :  but  if  so  the  question  arises, 
"What  method  shall  be  employed  in  preserving  ourselves?  " 
Our  Lord  taught  us  not  to  be  anxious,  saying,  <*  What  shall  we 
eat  ?  or,  What  shall  we  drink  ?  or.  Wherewithal  shall  we  be 
clothed  ?  ' '  God  knows  that  we  have  need  of  all  these  things. 
If  we  seek  first  His  kingdom,  and  His  righteousness,  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  us.  By  complying  with  the  proph- 
et's command  the  widow  saved  her  own  life  and  that  of  her 
household,  and  secured  the  blessing  of  God.  Had  she  and  her 
son  eaten  their  morsel  alone  they  would  have  perished  in  the 
famine. 

There  is  a  lesson  here  for  the  individual  Christian.  A  child 
of  God  is  not  to  put  his  own  claims  first ;  he  is  to  recognize 
the  priority  of  God's  claims.  God  is  not  a  beggar  asking  alms 
or  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  our  tables.  He  is  a  preferred 
creditor.  We  are  stewards  of  His  manifold  grace.  What  we 
have  we  hold  in  trust  for  Him.  We  cannot  honestly  use  trust 
funds  to  gratify  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and 
the  pride  of  life,  while  we  give  our  leavings  to  assist  His  work 
in  the  world.  We  are  living  in  a  period  of  unprecedented 
prosperity.  We  are  in  graver  peril  than  were  the  people  in  the 
prophetic  age  from  ''pride,  and  fullness  of  bread,  and  abun- 
dance of  idleness."  What  were  considered  luxuries  a  few  dec- 
ades ago  are  necessaries  now.  More  than  ever  before  is  there 
need  of  extraordinary  stress  being  laid  on  God's  claims,  be- 
cause they  are  anterior  to  all  claims  of  fashion  and  society  and 
appetite  and  vanity.  They  are  of  superlative  importance; 
Mrs.  Bishop  has  well  said  that  our  scale  of  living  is  constantly 
rising.     '*  We  decorate   our  lives   till  farther  decoration  be- 


ig6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

comes  impossible.  Our  expenditures  upon  ourselves  are 
enormous."  We  are  not  any  more  comfortable  or  any  better 
off  on  account  of  our  extravagance  and  riotous  living  than  we 
were  before.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  are  not  so  comfortable 
or  so  well  off.  With  the  clamorous  demands  of  self  and  the 
world  the  call  of  God  for  His  rightful  share  first  is  apt  to  be 
ignored  or  forgotten,  or  all  manner  of  ingenious  excuses  are 
invented  to  silence  the  reproaches  of  enlightened  consciences. 

There  is  a  lesson  here  for  the  churches.  Many  congre- 
gations feel  that  they  must  have  elegant  buildings,  and  elabo- 
rate furnishings ;  they  must  have  rich  frescoes  and  pipe  organs 
and  costly  music.  When  they  have  provided  themselves  with 
all  that  they  need  to  ecHpse  and  outshine  their  neighbours, 
and  have  had  a  good  long  breathing  spell,  then  they  may  do 
something  to  give  the  gospel  to  those  who  are  living  and  dying 
without  God  and  without  hope.  That  is  a  reversal  of  the 
divine  order.  God's  law  is,  ''Make  me  thereof  a  little  cake 
first."  The  apostles  evangelized  the  Roman  empire  without  a 
choir  or  a  pipe  organ  or  even  a  church  building.  The  great 
commission  was  given  to  eleven  men  who  had  no  money  and 
no  credit  and  no  social  position.  These  men  put  the  Lord's 
work  first,  and  because  they  did  they  were  able  to  "  kindle  the 
fires  of  the  faith  that  burned  down  to  the  water's  edge  all 
around  the  Mediterranean  and  remade  the  Roman  world." 
It  is  well  to  have  convenient  and  comfortable  houses  of  wor- 
ship and  such  other  facilities  as  the  people  of  God  need  to 
serve  God  acceptably.  But  every  dollar  spent  in  a  vain  show 
is  a  dollar  of  trust  funds  misappropriated.  In  one  of  our 
cities  there  is  a  negro  church  that  meets  for  worship  in  the 
basement  of  a  building  belonging  to  other  people.  That  church 
supports  a  missionary  on  the  foreign  field.  That  church  has 
made  a  little  cake  first  for  the  Lord,  and  to  that  church  He  will 
say,  "I  was  hungry  and  ye  fed  Me." 

The  world  will  never  be  won  to  Christ  by  gifts  from  our 
pin-money.     The  missionary  enterprise  is  belittled  and  put  on 


"Make  Me  a  Little  Cake  First"         197 

a  wrong  basis  when  Christian  people  are  asked  to  save  a 
nickel  or  a  dime  from  their  cigars  or  from  their  chewing  gum 
or  some  other  luxury.  The  Lord's  work  is,  or  should  be,  our 
first  concern,  and  it  should  be  provided  for  first.  After  we 
have  done  that  we  can  minister  to  our  own  needs.  Our  Lord 
did  not  give  that  which  did  not  cost  Him  anything.  Though 
He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  we  through 
His  poverty  might  become  rich.  He  gave  Himself.  The  serv- 
ant is  not  greater  than  his  Lord ;  the  pupil  is  not  above  his 
Teacher.  Plain  living  and  high  thinking  and  large  giving 
should  characterize  the  followers  of  Him  who  said,  "  The  foxes 
have  their  dens,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  their  nests ;  but 
the  Son  of  Man  has  not  whereon  to  lay  His  head."  If  we  be- 
lieve this  we  can  easily  see  that  luxury  and  magnificence  and 
elegance,  while  the  world  is  perishing,  in  its  need  and  God's 
work  languishes,  are  out  of  place.  In  a  public  address  a 
speaker  intended  to  speak  of  the  ''embellishments  of  human 
life. "  By  a  slip  of  the  tongue  he  called  them  *  *  embezzlements. ' ' 
He  spoke  more  wisely  than  he  intended.  Our  Lord  says, 
"Seek  first  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  "  ;  "  Make  Me  a  little 
cake  first."  He  does  not  ask  for  the  broken  fragments  that 
remain  after  we  have  eaten  to  satiety ;  He  does  not  ask  for  our 
cheese  parings  and  pork  rinds.  We  have  no  authority  for 
putting  that  last  which  He  puts  first,  or  treating  that  as  least 
which  in  His  estimation  is  greatest. 

The  evangelization  of  the  world  is  delayed  because  Chris- 
tian people  put  the  emphasis  in  the  wrong  place.  We  spread  a 
banquet  for  ourselves.  We  fill  ourselves  up  to  the  throat  with 
all  that  we  desire.  We  gratify  every  appetite  and  every  taste 
and  give  to  carry  on  the  Lord's  work  what  we  never  miss  and 
never  feel.  All  the  believers  in  the  United  States  give  eight  mil- 
lions a  year  for  world-wide  missions.  This  is  a  paltry  amount  for 
the  richest  body  of  people  on  the  globe  to  give  for  the  greatest 
work  on  earth.  There  are  single  individuals  who  could  give 
the  whole  amount  and  not  know  it.     Because  the  primacy  of 


198  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

God's  claims  is  not  recognized,  we  do  not  honour  Him  with 
our  substance  and  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  our  increase. 

The  widow  of  Zarephath  did  as  she  was  told,  and  she  never 
lacked.  Is  not  this  the  teaching  of  the  Word  of  God  every- 
where ?  If  we  will  honour  Him,  He  will  honour  us.  When 
a  little  band  puts  God's  claims  first  and  meets  in  an  upper 
room  or  in  a  parlour  or  in  a  shop,  its  success  is  relatively- 
greater  and  its  joy  completer  than  when  it  has  every  comfort 
and  every  convenience,  and  lacks  the  consecration  and  self- 
sacrifice  of  the  earlier  times  and  the  simpler  equipment.  In 
many  a  cathedral  with  all  its  appliances,  there  are  few  conver- 
sions and  little  spiritual  joy.  The  worshippers  attend  on  Sun- 
day morning,  and  suffer  an  artistic  performance.  But  the 
hunger  of  the  soul  is  unfed  and  its  thirst  is  unslaked.  In 
earlier  days,  when  the  claims  of  Christ  were  given  their  right- 
ful place,  they  said,  **  This  is  none  other  than  the  house  of 
God,  and  the  gate  of  heaven." 

There  are  those  who  make  the  Lord's  cake  first.  One  of 
the  greatest  religious  leaders  of  modern  times  was  asked  to 
make  a  return  of  his  plate  to  the  government.  He  said  he  had 
four  silver  spoons,  and  that  he  would  buy  no  more  while  so 
many  around  him  were  in  need  of  bread.  An  illustrious 
Christian  soldier  gave  his  fortune  and  melted  down  his  medals 
and  gave  the  gold.  A  man  with  an  income  of  ^10,000  lived 
on  ;^i,ooo,  and  gave  the  remainder.  A  teacher  lives  on  half 
her  salary  and  supports  a  substitute  with  the  other  half.  Sup- 
pose all  did  so,  the  kingdom  of  God  would  come  in  a  day. 

When  Elijah  went  up  by  a  whirlwind  into  heaven,  Elisha 
took  up  the  mantle  that  fell  from  him,  and,  standing  by  the 
bank  of  the  Jordan,  smote  its  waters,  and  said,  **  Where  is 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  Elijah?"  He  wanted  the  God  that 
protected  and  provided  for  and  honoured  Elijah  to  do  as  much 
for  him  as  his  successor.  We  do  not  need  to  ask  that  ques- 
tion. We  know  that  God  is  not  far  from  every  one  of  us. 
We  know  that  He  is  able  and  willing  to  increase  our  meal  in 


"Make  Me  a  Little  Cake  First"         199 

the  jar  and  our  oil  in  the  cruse.  He  has  been  doing  that  ever 
since.  But  it  has  been  for  those  who  acknowledged  His  claim 
first.  It  would  be  easy  to  multiply  instances.  One  typical 
illustration  will  suffice.  The  bishop  of  Llandaff  gives  a 
chapter  from  his  own  experience  as  follows :  *' I  do  feel  very 
strongly  that  we  cannot  afford  to  do  without  missionary  work 
for  the  good  of  our  own  souls.  I  believe  that  our  own  spiritual 
good  is  bound  up  in  it,  and  if  we  neglect  our  duty  to  this,  we 
are  neglecting  the  first  duty  to  the  Christian  Church  and  lower- 
ing our  own  ideal  of  the  Christian  life.  I  would  just  mention 
one  little  incident  which  happened  in  my  former  parish.  We 
had  a  great  many  districts  springing  up.  In  one  of  these  dis- 
tricts we  were  very  anxious  to  build  a  church.  There  were  no 
rich  people  living  in  the  place,  and  the  difficulty  was  to  raise 
the  money.  We  had  been  struggling  and  planning  some  way 
or  other  of  doing  this.  I  went  to  that  district  and  proposed 
that  we  should  have  a  missionary  meeting  there.  I  wa^  met 
with  the  objection,  *We  cannot  possibly;  we  need  all  the 
money  we  can  get  for  our  new  church.'  It  was  not  very  en- 
couraging ;  however  we  decided  to  try  it.  I  quoted  the  text, 
*  Make  me  a  little  cake  first,  and  then  make  for  thyself  and  thy 
son.'  The  experiment  was  tried  and  we  had  a  very  successful 
and  inspiring  meeting.  Strange  to  say,  within  a  few  weeks  I 
got  a  letter  from  a  gentleman  saying  he  would  be  delighted  to 
give  us  a  thousand  pounds  towards  the  new  church.  A  short 
time  after  he  sent  us  five  hundred  pounds,  and  before  long 
the  church  was  built,  and  there  is  a  flourishing  church  congrega- 
tion in  that  very  place.  I  do  believe  that  this  instance 
illustrates  a  great  and  true  principle  that,  '  He  that  watereth 
others  shall  be  watered  also  himself.'  "  The  promise  of  God 
is  this,  ''Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  unto  you,  good  measure, 
pressed  down  ;  shaken  together,  running  over,  shall  they  give 
into  your  bosom."     The  promise  holds  if  we  give  first. 


XIX 

"A  GOD  THAT  LOVES  US" 

I  John  4:8;  John  3  :  16 ;  Jer.  31  ;   3  ;  Is.  60 :  19 

THE  story  is  told  of  a  Hindu  who  had  never  heard 
of  a  loving  God,  or  of  Jesus  the  Saviour,  and  had 
never  met  a  missionary,  that  in  some  way  he  got  a 
copy  of  the  Gospel  by  John.  He  said,  "  I  liked  the  book 
when  I  read  it,  and  my  wife  liked  it  when  I  read  it  to  her.  I 
read  it  to  my  family,  and  the  more  I  read  it  the  more  I  liked 
it.  I  soon  saw  that  it  was  about  a  God  who  loved  us,  and  that 
was  a  surprise  to  me.  During  all  this  time  we  continued  wor- 
shipping the  family  idols;  but  one  day  I  said  to  my  wife, 
'This  Book  tells  us  about  another  God  different  from  our 
idols;  I  think  we  ought  to  pray  to  Him.*"  The  result  was 
that  they  began  to  pray  in  secret,  because  they  were  afraid  of 
their  neighbours.  As  they  continued  reading  and  praying  the 
idols  were  gradually  put  out  of  the  house.  Some  time  after 
this  secret  disciple  heard  singing  and  preaching  in  the  market, 
and  soon  made  the  joyful  discovery  that  the  speaker  was  telling 
the  people  about  the  God  of  whom  he  had  read  in  the  Book. 
This  man  gave  himself  to  the  Lord  and  led  his  sons  and 
daughters  to  do  the  same.  He  ceased  giving  money  to  the 
priests,  and  now  gives  regularly  to  assist  the  Lord's  work.  His 
light  shines  in  the  darkness  around  him. 

"  A  God  that  loves  us  !  "  No  stranger  or  more  joyful  truth 
was  ever  heard  in  the  lands  of  darkness.  They  have  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thousands  of 
gods ;  but  in  all  that  countless  host  there  is  not  one  that  loves 
or  cares  for  human  beings.     Tacitus  declared  that  the  gods  in- 

200 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  201 

terfered  with  human  affairs  only  to  punish.  De  Quincy  tells 
us  that  there  was  an  ancient  and  secret  enmity  between  the 
gods  and  the  human  race.  There  was  a  sort  of  truce  between 
the  parties ;  temples  and  their  religious  services  recorded  this 
truce.  But  below  all  appearances  there  lay  deadly  enmity. 
The  gods  were  mere  odious  facts,  like  scorpions  or  rattlesnakes, 
having  no  moral  aspects  whatever ;  public  nuisances ;  and 
having  no  relation  to  men  but  that  of  capricious  tyrants.  All 
antiquity  contains  no  hint  of  love  on  the  part  of  the  gods  to- 
wards men  or  on  the  part  of  men  towards  the  gods.  The  wor- 
shippers would  gladly  have  exterminated  the  gods  if  they  could 
have  done  so.  They  poured  out  rivers  of  blood  and  rivers  of 
oil ;  they  gave  their  first-born  for  their  transgression,  and  the 
fruit  of  their  body  for  the  sin  of  their  soul ;  but  fear  and  not 
love  was  the  impelling  motive.  They  aimed  at  no  distant 
prize  ahead;  they  fled  from  a  danger  immediately  behind. 
Pope  spoke  of  the  deities  of  Homer  as 

"  Gods  changeful,  partial,  passionate,  unjust, 
Whose  attributes  were  rage,  revenge,  and  lust." 

Dr.  March  saw  a  shrine  in  India  in  which  was  a  figure  of  a 
female  on  which  were  carved  and  painted  the  most  horrible 
expressions  of  ferocity  and  cruelty.  The  front  teeth  protruded 
like  the  tusks  of  a  wild  boar.  Between  the  teeth  was  the  body 
of  an  infant  with  the  head  sticking  out  on  one  side  and  the 
feet  on  the  other.  The  monster  was  biting  the  child  in  two. 
In  the  left  hand  of  the  same  figure  was  another  infant,  and 
the  right  arm  was  uplifted  with  a  dagger  in  the  hand  in  the  act 
of  plunging  the  weapon  into  the  heart  of  the  child.  Offerings 
were  made  to  the  goddess,  and  children  were  brought  by  their 
mothers  to  worship  her.  Kali  is  the  embodiment  of  murder 
and  cruelty.  Around  her  waist  is  a  girdle  of  bloody  human 
hands;  around  her  neck  is  a  necklace  of  human  skulls; 
human  bodies   hang   by  the  hair  from  her  ears;    a  bloody 


202  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

tongue  protrudes  from  her  mouth,  her  face  is  red  and  bloated 
like  a  drunkard's. 

We  are  informed  by  those  who  know  that  the  children  of 
India  are  taught  to  beheve  that  the  whole  material  world  is 
filled  with  horrible  monsters,  hideous  and  malignant,  and  al- 
ways watching  to  do  them  harm.  These  evil  spirits  haunt  the 
trees,  the  fields,  the  fountains,  the  forests,  the  dark  places  of 
the  earth  and  the  deep  places  of  the  sea.  They  delight  in 
bringing  misfortunes  and  miseries  upon  men.  They  are  ever 
ready  to  derange  business,  destroy  property,  waylay  and 
maltreat  travellers,  mildew  the  grain,  poison  the  fountains, 
bring  drought  and  plague  and  famine  on  the  land.  The  peo- 
ple believe  that  the  gods  hover  about  them  always  with  the 
intent  to  inflict  evil.  "  Incense  is  burned,  sacrifices  are  made, 
gifts  are  given,  lots  are  drawn,  temples  are  visited,  idols  are 
gilded  and  crowned  with  garlands,  priests  and  fortune-tellers 
are  consulted,  prayers  are  whirled  in  cylinders  or  floated  on 
flagstaff's  or  burned  on  paper  or  mumbled  in  unknown  tongues, 
to  guard  against  the  powers  of  evil  which  are  supposed  to  be- 
set and  plague  men's  lives  everywhere  and  at  all  times." 

Hinduism  has  no  personal  god.  Hinduism  is  pantheistic. 
God  is  everything  and  everything  is  god.  He  is  the  author 
of  evil  and  of  good.  A  man's  record  is  written  on  his  skull 
at  the  time  of  his  birth.  Moral  responsibility  is  practically 
denied.  Brahma  is  energy.  Things  are  as  they  are  from 
necessity  and  cannot  be  changed.  The  priests  sprang  from  the 
head  of  Brahma ;  the  soldiers  from  his  shoulders ;  the  farmers 
from  his  thighs  and  legs ;  and  the  sudras  from  his  feet. 
Wherever  one  happens  to  be  born  there  he  must  remain,  he  and 
his  posterity  for  a  thousand  generations.  No  matter  what  his 
genius  or  character  he  cannot  rise  above  the  position  he  oc- 
cupied at  the  time  of  his  birth.  If  he  is  born  a  sweeper  or 
a  worker  in  leather  he  must  follow  that  vocation.  So  it  has 
come  to  pass  that  "hands  that  might  have  swayed  the  rod  of 
empire  or  waked  to  ecstasy  the  living  lyre"  must  handle  the 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  203 

broom  or  the  hoe  till  the  end  of  the  day.  No  one  can  wear  the 
sacred  thread  of  the  twice  born  unless  he  is  a  Brahmin. 

In  China  fear  is  the  essence  of  religion.  There  is  no  joy,  no 
delight  in  the  service  of  the  gods.  The  people  are  afraid  of 
some  evil ;  they  fall  down  and  bump  their  heads  on  the  ground. 
They  fear  to  tap  the  mountains  lest  they  should  disturb  the 
dragon  that  underlies  and  sustains  all  things ;  they  fear  to  go 
out  of  doors  after  dark.  If  anything  goes  wrong  in  the  family, 
if  there  is  sickness  or  accident  or  trouble  of  any  kind,  they 
have  priests  and  astrologers  come  to  the  house  and  stay  for  days 
or  weeks  feasting  and  incurring  the  expenditure  of  hundreds  or 
thousands  of  dollars  in  vain  ceremonies,  reading,  chanting 
formulas,  burning  pictured  paper,  cutting  to  the  right  and  the 
left  with  swords,  under  the  pretense  of  driving  out  the  evil 
spirits  that  plague  the  family. 

Confucianism  is  agnostic.  The  ancient  Chinese  sages  spoke 
of  Shangti,  and  it  is  possible  that  they  thought  of  a  personal 
deity.  Confucius  spoke  of  Heaven,  but  whether  Heaven  is 
personal  or  not,  no  one  knows.  Confucius  never  enjoined  the 
worship  of  Shangti,  though  he  did  sanction  the  worship  of 
spirits  and  of  one's  ancestors.  He  did  not  teach  that  there  is  a 
God  at  the  heart  of  all  things  controlling  all  events  and  making 
them  minister  to  the  good  of  all  His  children.  Confucius 
emphasized  the  relations  that  should  exist  between  men  here 
and  now ;  he  did  not  emphasize  man's  relation  to  God. 
Taoism  teaches  the  worship  of  the  ruler  of  the  material  universe, 
and  the  powers  of  nature  and  imaginary  spirits.  Shintoism  is 
a  worship  of  dead  heroes. 

Buddhism  began  as  atheism.  In  one  country  it  developed 
into  polytheism ;  in  another  into  pantheism,  and  in  another  still 
into  dualism.  Buddha  would  have  every  man  depend  upon 
himself.  According  to  the  teaching  of  Buddhism  there  is  no 
one  to  hear  and  answer  prayer ;  there  is  no  one  to  help  in  time 
of  need.  Buddha  was  a  great  soul  and  taught  many  things 
that  are  beautiful  and  true ;  but  Buddha  had  no  message  of 


204  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

hope  and  salvation  for  men  who  sin  and  suffer  and  die.  We 
hear  of  the  gospel  of  Buddha,  but  that  is  a  misnomer.  Buddha 
had  no  gospel.  Buddhism  is  naturally  and  inevitably  pessi- 
mistic. Existence  is  an  evil.  Man's  greatest  boon  is  the  privi- 
lege of  committing  suicide. 

Mohammedanism  is  monotheistic.  **  There  is  no  God  but 
God  "  ;  this  is  the  truth  contained  in  the  system.  But  God  as 
conceived  by  Mohammed  is  solitary,  severe,  stern,  inducing 
men  to  obey  by  motives  that  debase,  degrading  women,  hating 
the  infidel  and  handing  him  over  to  the  exterminating  sword. 
The  God  of  Mohammed  is  a  tremendous,  unsympathizing 
autocrat.  He  delights  in  making  all  his  creatures  feel  that  they 
are  his  slaves.  The  attribute  of  God  that  Mohammed  lays  most 
stress  upon  is  his  almightiness.  He  is  spoken  of  as  being  com- 
passionate and  merciful,  but  his  mercy  is  exercised  in  the  most 
arbitrary  way.  In  the  Koran  there  are  ninety-nine  names  for 
God,  but  father  is  not  one  of  them.  Nothing  could  be  more 
repugnant  to  Mohammedan  thought  than  that  God  should  have 
a  son.  To  affirm  that  is  the  worst  heresy  that  tongue  can  utter 
or  mind  hold.  Sir  William  Muir  says  one  may  search  the 
Koran  in  vain  for  such  words  as,  **  The  Lord  is  not  willing  that 
any  should  perish,"  or,  "  That  He  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved 
and  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth."  According  to 
Mohammedan  tradition  when  God  made  man  He  took  a  lump  of 
clay  in  His  hands  and  broke  it  into  two  parts.  From  one  part 
He  made  half  the  race  and  said,  **  These  to  hell  and  I  care  not." 
From  the  other  part  He  made  the  rest  of  mankind  and  said, 
"These  to  paradise  and  I  care  not."  God  is  represented  as 
having  created  those  who  are  lost  that  hell  might  be  full.  In 
the  Koran  he  says,  "We  created  man  a  most  exalted  fabric; 
afterwards  we  rendered  him  the  vilest  of  the  vile."  Trench 
says  one  may  search  the  Koran  from  beginning  to  the  end  and 
not  find  such  a  sentiment  as  we  have  in  the  Psalms,  "  Create 
in  me  a  clean  heart.  Purge  me  with  hyssop  and  I  shall  be 
clean;  wash  me  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  the  snow."     The 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  205 

idea  of  holiness  finds  no  place  in  the  Koran.  How  could  it 
since  the  record  of  its  author's  life  is  so  full  of  blots  and  blood- 
stains ?  Fairbairn  says  that  the  God  of  the  Koran  is  a  fit  deity 
for  wild  Arabs  and  fierce  Turks,  but  is  no  God  for  civilized  and 
free  men. 

The  author  of ''Daybreak  in  the  Dark  Continent,"  states 
that  nearly  all  the  pagan  gods  are  demons,  and  demons  with- 
out any  disguise  to  cover  their  hideousness.  "  The  cruel  bar- 
barities of  the  pagan  do  not  necessarily  spring  from  an  inborn 
brutality  of  nature,  but  from  his  ideas  of  the  gods  and  re- 
ligion." His  gods  are  overgrown  savages,  revelling  in  drunk- 
enness, debauchery,  vicious  immoralities,  obscene  orgies.  As 
raving  lions  they  go  about  seeking  whom  they  may  devour. 
Characteristic  tides  for  the  gods  are,  *'The  Hater,"  "The 
Malignant  One,"  "  The  Producer  of  Calamities."  The  black 
natives  of  Australia  believe  in  Buddai,  who  in  the  dim  past  en- 
gulfed mankind  in  a  great  flood,  after  which  he  assumed  the 
role  of  a  gigantic  old  man,  who  for  ages  has  been  asleep  in  the 
sand,  and  who  at  last  will  swallow  up  mankind. 

Prof.  W.  N.  Clarke  holds  that  the  crowning  glory  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  sum  of  all  its  glories,  is  its  God. 
He  is  one ;  He  is  personal ;  He  is  self-existent,  almighty, 
eternal ;  He  is  holy,  wise,  loving  and  good.  Fairbairn  states 
that  the  transcendent  moment  for  man,  the  moment  of  supreme 
promise,  and  of  grandest  hope,  was  when  the  idea  of  a  moral  deity 
entered  his  heart,  when  all  the  energies  of  religion  came  to  be 
moral  energies  for  the  making  of  moral  men.  "  The  moment 
when  gravitation,  navigation,  the  secrets  of  the  sea,  or  the  stars, 
or  the  earth,  were  discovered  had  neither  singly  nor  all  com- 
bined equal  or  even  approximate  significance  for  man.  Take 
from  him  this  religion  steeped  in  morality,  made  living  by  the 
moral  character  of  its  God,  and  you  will  leave  him  without  the 
grandest  energy  working  for  good  and  peace  and  progress  that 
ever  came  into  his  history  or  into  his  heart," 

We  think  of  God  as  infinitely  just  and  infinitely  holy,  as 


2o6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

loving  righteousness  and  hating  iniquity,  and  we  think  it  was 
always  so.  But  such  is  far  from  being  the  fact  in  the  case.  In 
ancient  times  there  was  no  connection  between  religion  and 
morality.  The  gods  of  Egypt,  and  Phenicia  and  Assyria  and 
Greece  and  Rome  were  not  good.  Holiness  was  not  an  attri- 
bute of  any  one  of  them.  They  were  capricious  and  unjust 
and  unclean.  The  gods  of  that  time  and  of  those  lands  were 
not  moral ;  they  did  not  furnish  in  their  own  lives  a  worthy 
standard  of  conduct  for  the  people  who  worshipped  them.  No 
one  of  them  said  or  could  say,  *'Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy." 
An  ancient  moralist  said,  "  The  gods  send  war  and  pestilence, 
and  we  oifer  sacrifices  to  propitiate  their  wrath ;  but  the  virtu- 
ous man  is  sufficient  for  himself,  and  needs  no  help  from  the 
gods."  What  was  true  then  is  true  now;  for  the  gods  of  that 
time  are  like  the  gods  of  our  day.  Krishna  is  worshipped  by 
two  hundred  millions  of  people ;  but  there  is  no  man  in  India 
as  vile  as  Krishna. 

The  Old  Testament  calls  special  attention  to  two  attributes 
of  God,  namely.  His  righteousness  and  His  goodness.  Abra- 
ham's conviction  was  that  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  would  do 
right.  He  would  not  slay  the  righteous  with  the  wicked.  The 
very  thought  was  abhorrent  to  the  patriarch.  Moses  spoke  of 
God  as  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises,  doing  wonders. 
The  writers  of  the  Old  Testament  delighted  in  the  fact  that 
God  kept  covenant  with  His  people.  To  them  He  was  a  great 
God,  and  a  great  King  above  all  gods.  They  said,  "The 
Lord  God  is  a  sun  and  a  shield  ;  He  will  give  grace  and  glory ; 
no  good  thing  will  He  withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly." 
There  was  no  caprice  or  injustice  or  favouritism  in  Him.  He 
was  holy  in  all  His  works  and  righteous  in  all  His  ways.  He 
is  everywhere  represented  as  good  and  as  doing  good. 

In  the  New  Testament  God  is  represented  as  a  God  of  love. 
"  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  eternal  life."     '*  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God, 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  207 

but  that  He  loved  us,  and  sent  His  Son  to  be  the  propitiation 
for  our  sins."  God  is  love.  God  is  light  and  in  Him  is  no 
darkness  at  all.  "  At  heart  Christianity  is  simply  a  revelation 
of  a  perfect  God,  doing  the  work  of  perfect  love  and  holiness 
for  His  creatures,  and  transforming  men  into  His  own  likeness, 
so  that  they  will  do  the  work  of  love  and  hoHness  towards  their 
fellows."  He  is  the  universal  Father,  the  giver  of  every  good 
gift  and  every  perfect  gift.  It  is  in  Him  that  we  live  and  move 
and  have  our  being.  He  is  interested  in  the  welfare  of  every 
child  made  in  His  image  and  makes  all  things  work  together 
for  His  good.  **  His  glory  is  to  diffuse  happiness,  and  fill  up 
the  silent  places  of  the  universe  with  voices  that  speak  out  of 
glad  hearts." 

The  poets  are  the  best  interpreters  of  God  and  truth.     Lowell 
says, 

« It  is  they 
"Who  utter  wisdom  from  the  central  deep, 
And,  listening  to  the  inner  flow  of  things, 
Speak  to  the  age  out  of  eternity." 

They  see  and  know.  Whittier  confessed  that  he  was  per- 
plexed about  many  things.  But  he  was  sure  of  one  thing.  So 
he  wrote, 

"  Yet  in  this  maddening  maze  of  things, 
And  tossed  by  storm  and  flood ; 
To  one  fixed  stake  my  spirit  clings, 
I  know  that  God  is  good." 

Tennyson  closes  his  immortal  poem  with  the  lines, 

"  One  God  that  ever  lives  and  loves, 
One  God,  one  law,  one  element, 
And  one  far-off  divine  event 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves." 

One  of  Browning's  convictions  formed  in  youth  and  cherished 
all  his  days  was  this, 


2o8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

«  That  He,  the  Eternal,  First  and  Last, 
Who  in  His  power,  had  so  surpassed 
All  man  conceives  of  what  is  might, — 
Whose  wisdom,  too,  showed  infinite, 
Would  prove  as  infinitely  good." 

Thomson,  the  poet  of  the  seasons,  gave  his  thought  in  these 

lines, 

"  I  cannot  go 
Where  Universal  Love  smiles  not  around, 
Sustaining  all  yon  orbs  and  all  their  suns ; 
From  seeming  evil  still  educing  good. 
And  better  thence  again,  and  better  still, 
In  infinite  progression." 

Christianity  presents  a  God  who  is  worthy  of  our  confidence 
and  love  and  service.  He  is  the  God  of  hope.  He  inspires 
hope  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  put  their  trust  in  Him.  He  is 
the  God  of  all  consolation  and  grace.  He  gives  beauty  for 
ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garment  of  praise 
for  the  spirit  of  heaviness.  He  is  a  very  present  help  in  time 
of  trouble.  He  will  never  leave  us  nor  forsake  us.  **He  will 
feed  His  flock  like  a  shepherd,  He  will  gather  the  lambs  in  His 
arms,  and  carry  them  in  His  bosom,  and  will  gently  lead  those 
that  have  their  young."  He  is  our  refuge  and  strength.  "  He 
giveth  power  to  the  faint ;  and  to  them  that  have  no  might  He 
increaseth  strength.  Even  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary, 
and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fail :  but  they  that  wait  for 
Jehovah  shall  renew  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles  ;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be  weary;  they  shall 
walk,  and  not  faint." 

A  converted  Chinese  in  setting  forth  the  relative  merits  of 
Confucianism,  Buddhism  and  Christianity  said,  "A  man  had 
fallen  into  a  deep  dark  pit,  and  lay  at  its  miry  bottom,  groan- 
ing and  utterly  unable  to  move.  Confucius  passing  by,  ap- 
proached the  edge  of  the  pit,  and  said,  '  Poor  fellow,  I  am 
sorry  for  you ;  why  were  you  such  a  fool  as  to  get  in  there  ? 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  209 

If  you  ever  get  out  do  not  get  in  again.'  The  man  said,  '  I 
cannot  get  out.'  That  is  Confucianism.  A  Buddhist  priest 
next  came  by,  and  said,  '  Poor  fellow,  I  am  pained  to  see  you 
down  there.  I  think  that  if  you  could  climb  up  two-thirds  of 
the  way  or  even  half,  I  could  reach  you  and  lift  you  out.' 
But  the  man  was  utterly  helpless  and  unable  to  rise.  That  is 
Buddhism.  Next  the  Saviour  came  by,  and  hearing  his  cries, 
went  to  the  brink  of  the  pit,  reached  down  and  laid  hold  of 
the  man,  brought  him  up  and  said,  *Go  and  sin  no  more.' 
That  is  Christianity."  God  in  Christ  takes  man  from  the 
horrible  pit  and  the  miry  clay,  and  sets  his  feet  upon  the  rock, 
and  establishes  his  goings,  and  puts  a  song  of  praise  into  his 
mouth. 

The  nations  that  sit  in  darkness  need  to  know  of  a  God 
that  so  loved  them  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son  for 
their  salvation ;  a  God  that  opens  His  hand  and  supplies  every 
need  of  their  natures ;  a  God  who  has  planned  to  bring  all  who 
love  Him  into  His  own  presence,  where  there  is  fullness  of  joy 
and  where  there  are  pleasures  forevermore.  They  need  this 
more  than  any  material  thing;  more  than  battleships,  more 
than  machine  guns,  more  than  electrical  appliances,  more  than 
steam-plows  or  reapers.  A  God  that  loves  them  !  That  is 
what  the  nations  most  need  to  know.  '*  That  knowledge  will 
lift  heavy  burdens  from  weary  hearts ;  it  will  bring  the  light  of 
peace  into  the  habitations  of  cruelty ;  it  will  drive  out  the 
demons  and  spirits  of  evil  from  the  homes  and  paths  of  men ; 
it  will  open  the  vision  of  the  dying  to  a  land  where  there  shall 
be  no  more  sickness  or  pain  or  crying ;  it  will  lead  the  op- 
pressed out  into  the  liberty  of  the  glory  of  the  children  of  God." 
From  the  creation  on  God  has  been  seeking  to  make  His  dis- 
position known  to  His  intelligent  creatures.  He  has  given 
them  rain  from  heaven  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  their  hearts 
with  food  and  gladness.  His  mercies  have  been  new  every 
morning  and  fresh  every  evening.  He  revealed  Himself  in  the 
person  of  His  Son.     In  His  earthly  ministry  our  Lord  was  seek- 


210  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

ing  to  make  God  known  to  men.  He  said  to  them  that,  if 
earthly  parents  who  are  evil  know  how  to  give  good  things  to 
their  children,  how  much  more  shall  the  heavenly  Father  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  Him  ? 

Our  conception  of  God  is  fundamental.  It  moulds  our  lives 
and  it  moulds  our  civilization.  Harlan  P.  Beach  says  that 
every  community  is  organized  around  the  idea  of  a  god  of 
some  kind.  "The  god  governs  them  and  gives  them  their 
ideals.  In  the  Fiji  Islands  the  difficulty  was  not  so  much  that 
men  were  any  more  brutal  by  nature  than  we;  it  was  their 
gods  that  were  brutal,  their  ideals  were  cruel.  A  chief  there 
roused  himself  with  the  same  effort  of  will  to  slaughter  human 
beings  and  crush  out  every  particle  of  mercy  as  that  with  which 
we  nerve  ourselves  to  some  high  moral  effort.  When,  as  was 
the  case  with  one  chief,  he  knocked  his  wife  on  the  head  and 
killed  and  cooked  her,  it  was  not  that  it  was  easy ;  it  was  hard. 
It  was  the  ideal  of  the  cruel  chief  that  he  was  seeking  to  realize. 
The  ideal  organized  the  community."  The  Mohammedan,  the 
Hindu,  the  savage,  the  Christian,  each  is  what  he  is  because 
of  this  conception  of  deity.  His  creed  shapes  his  character 
and  his  destiny. 

There  is  nothing  that  challenges  the  attention  of  the  non- 
Christian  peoples  as  the  statement  that  God  is  love  and  that 
He  loves  them  and  desires  their  redemption  and  their  present 
and  eternal  well-being.  There  is  nothing  that  impresses  them' 
as  this  does.  Missionaries  say  that  people  who  were  disposed 
to  shut  their  ears  to  the  message  and  to  drive  them  away  were 
profoundly  affected  by  the  story  of  God's  love  and  mercy  and 
goodness.  When  they  heard  a  little  they  were  eager  to  hear 
more.  The  story  is  so  unlike  anything  they  ever  heard  or 
imagined  and  so  pleasing  in  itself  that  they  are  charmed  by  it. 
It  is  to  them  like  good  news  from  a  far  country ;  like  rivers  of 
water  in  a  dry  place,  like  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
land.  Their  gods  are  demons  and  are  constantly  planning  and 
executing  mischief.     They  are  ever  seeking  their  injury.     The 


"A  God  that  Loves  Us"  211 

people  have  been  taught  to  wear  charms  and  amulets  and  to 
resort  to  all  kinds  of  devices  to  protect  themselves.  They  give 
a  boy  a  girl's  name  and  dress  him  like  a  girl,  so  that  the  gods 
may  not  cause  his  death.  They  build  their  homes  and  their 
temples  so  as  to  keep  out  the  spirits.  When  they  hear  of  a  God 
who  loves  all  His  children  and  seeks  their  good  early  and  late, 
a  God  who  is  grieved  when  any  do  err  from  the  truth  and  re- 
joices with  joy  unspeakable  when  they  repent,  a  God  who  did 
deliver,  who  does  deliver,  who  will  deliver,  a  God  who  will  bring 
them  off  conquerors  and  more  than  conquerors  through  Christ 
who  loves  them,  they  feel  constrained  to  yield  themselves  to 
Him  that  He  may  guide  and  mold  and  possess  them  for  ever- 
more. A  Brahmin  heard  Dr.  Pentecost  preach.  On  being 
asked  if  he  were  a  Christian  he  said  he  was  not,  but  added 
that  his  children  and  his  grandchildren  would  be.  Then  he 
said  to  the  preacher,  "  Sahib,  I  could  love  your  God."  That 
was  in  harmony  with  the  words  spoken  long  before,  "  They 
that  know  Thy  name  will  put  their  trust  in  Thee." 

It  is  the  will  of  God  that  those  who  know  Him  should  make 
Him  known  to  those  who  are  ignorant  of  Him.  It  is  as  a  God 
who  loves  His  children  and  deals  with  them  in  holy  love  that 
He  wishes  to  be  known.     For  it  is  true  as  Browning  says, 

"  A  loving  worm  within  its  clod 
Is  diviner  than  a  loveless  God 
Amid  his  worlds." 

To  make  God  as  revealed  in  Christ  adequately  known  is  the 
great  task  assigned  the  church.  As  she  undertakes  this  task 
she  has  for  her  encouragement  the  exceeding  great  and  precious 
promise,  that  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  Jehovah  shall  cover 
the  earth,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  She  has  also  the  great 
words  of  our  Lord,  "  It  is  written  in  the  prophets,  *  And  they 
shall  all  be  taught  of  God.'  Every  one  that  hath  heard  from 
the  Father,  and  hath  learned,  cometh  unto  Me."  This  is  the 
delightful  work  in  which  every  missionary  agent  is  engaged. 


212  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

He  urges  all  with  whom  he  has  to  do  to  acquaint  themselves 
with  God  and  be  at  peace  with  Him,  and  assures  them  that  so 
good  shall  come  to  them.  This  is  the  knowledge  the  nations 
need  most ;  for  to  know  God  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  He  has 
sent  is  eternal  life. 


XX 

CHRISTIANITY  TRIUMPHANT 
Gen.  12  :  3  ;  Ps.  2  :  8  ;  Is.  42  :  4;  Acts  19  :  20;  Rev.  7  :  9 

THE  sacred  writers  confidently  expected  the  universal 
triumph  of  the  gospel.  They  did  not  entertain  a 
doubt  on  the  subject.  The  triumph  would  not  be 
easy  or  immediate ;  but  it  was  as  certain  as  that  God  lives  and 
reigns  and  makes  all  things  work  according  to  the  counsel  of 
His  own  will.  They  foresaw  and  they  foretold  that  the  gospel 
would  meet  with  opposition  ;  enemies  would  arise  without  and 
within  the  church  ;  there  would  be  times  of  apostasy :  but  the 
cause  is  God's,  and  it  cannot  fail.  All  the  resources  of  the 
universe  are  pledged  to  the  accomplishment  of  His  gracious 
and  eternal  purpose,  the  redemption  of  all  mankind.  We  have 
this  assurance  to  sustain  and  to  inspire  us  as  we  labour  for  the 
world-wide  conquest  of  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God.  We 
are  not  leading  a  forlorn  hope  ;  we  are  not  engaged  in  an  im- 
possible enterprise ;  our  labour  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  I 
ask  you  to  think  with  me — 

I.  Of  the  teaching  of  Prophecy  on  this  topic.  To  Abraham 
it  was  said,  "  In  thee  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed."  This  promise  referred  to  the  coming  Christ.  Our 
Lord  said,  "Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  My  day;  he  saw  it  and 
was  glad."  In  blessing  his  sons  Jacob  said,  "The  sceptre 
shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  the  ruler's  staff  from  between 
his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come ;  and  unto  Him  shall  the  obedience 
of  the  peoples  be."  Through  Moses  God  said  that  all  the 
earth  should  be  filled  with  His  glory.  This  promise  was  con- 
firmed with  an  oath.     The  psalmist  said,  "  All  nations  whom 

213 


214  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Thou  hast  made  shall  come  and  worship  before  Thee,  O  Lord ; 
and  they  shall  glorify  Thy  name."  "  Yea  all  kings  shall  fall 
down  before  Him  ;  all  nations  shall  serve  Him."  Speaking  for 
God  Isaiah  said,  *'  For  as  the  rain  cometh  down  and  the  snow 
from  heaven,  and  returneth  not  thither,  but  watereth  the  earth, 
and  maketh  it  bring  forth  and  bud,  and  giveth  seed  to  the 
sower  and  bread  to  the  eater  :  so  shall  My  word  be  that  goeth 
forth  out  of  My  mouth  :  it  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,  but  it 
shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in 
the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it."  It  was  said  of  the  Servant  of 
Jehovah  that  He  should  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He  had 
set  justice  in  the  earth,  and  that  the  isles  should  wait  for  His 
law.  ''He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  shall  be 
satisfied."  Daniel  said  that  the  God  of  heaven  should  set  up 
a  kingdom  which  would  never  be  destroyed,  nor  should  the 
sovereignty  thereof  be  left  to  another  people;  but  it  should 
break  in  pieces  and  consume  all  other  kingdoms,  and  it  should 
stand  forever.  Micah  said  that  the  mountain  of  Jehovah's 
house  should  be  established  on  the  top  of  the  mountains ;  and 
peoples  shall  flow  into  it.  And  many  nations  shall  say,  "  Come 
ye,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  Jehovah,  and  to  the 
house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  He  will  teach  us  of  His  ways, 
and  we  will  walk  in  His  paths."  Zechariah  sang,  **  And  He 
shall  speak  peace  unto  the  nations :  and  His  dominion  shall  be 
from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth." 
Zephaniah  said,  **  that  Jehovah  should  famish  all  the  gods  of 
the  earth  "  ;  "  and  men  shall  worship  Him,  every  one  from  his 
place,  even  all  the  isles  of  the  nations."  Habakkuk  said, 
*'  For  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  Jehovah,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea."  Malachi  said,  "For 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same 
My  name  shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles ;  and  in  every 
place  incense  shall  be  offered  unto  My  name,  and  a  pure 
offering :  for  My  name  shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith 
Jehovah  of  hosts."     It  was  predicted  that  the  glory  of  Jehovah 


Christianity  Triumphant  215 

should  be  revealed,  and  that  all  flesh  should  see  it  together ; 
for  the  mouth  of  Jehovah  hath  spoken  it.  These  glorious 
prophecies  will  not  be  fulfilled  till  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  have 
seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

Our  Lord  said  to  His  disciples,  '*  And  other  sheep  I  have, 
which  are  not  of  this  fold ;  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they 
shall  hear  My  voice;  and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
shepherd."  ''And  this  gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
preached  in  the  whole  world,  for  a  testimony  to  all  the  nations ; 
and  then  shall  the  end  come."  **  Wheresoever  this  gospel 
shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  this  also  which  this 
woman  hath  done  shall  be  told  for  a  memorial  of  her."  He 
never  contemplated  anything  less  than  universal  dominion. 
The  gates  of  Hades  shall  not  prevail  against  the  church  which 
He  founded.  Westcott  says  that  the  true  thought  of  this  prom- 
ise is  that  even  the  strongest  citadel  of  evil  shall  not  forever 
keep  out  the  triumphant  hosts  of  the  Cross.  Our  Lord's  last 
command  agrees  with  all  that  had  been  foretold.  *'  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  whole  creation." 
On  Patmos  John  heard  great  voices  in  heaven,  and  they  said, 
"The  kingdom  of  this  world  is  become  the  kingdom  of  our 
Lord,  and  of  His  Christ ;  and  He  shall  reign  forever  and 
ever."  The  redeemed  as  John  saw  them  constituted  a  great 
multitude  that  no  man  could  number,  out  of  every  nation  and 
of  all  tribes  and  peoples  and  tongues.  They  were  arrayed  in 
white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands :  and  they  cry  with  a 
great  voice,  saying,  '<  Salvation  unto  our  God  who  sitteth  on 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb." 

IL  Of  the  teaching  of  history  on  this  topic.  On  the  day  of 
Pentecost  three  thousand  were  added  to  the  believers  in  Jerusa- 
lem. The  Lord  added  to  these  day  by  day  those  that  were 
saved.  In  a  little  time  the  number  was  five  thousand.  Soon 
after  the  number  of  disciples  multiplied  in  Jerusalem  exceed- 
ingly ;  and  a  great  company  of  the  priests  became  obedient  to 
the  faith.     After  the  death  of  Herod  the  word  of  God  grew 


2i6  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

and  multiplied.  In  Samaria  the  multitude  gave  heed  with  one 
accord  to  the  things  that  were  spoken  by  Philip.  All  that 
dwelt  at  Lydda  and  Sharon  and  many  of  those  that  dwelt  at 
Joppa  believed  and  turned  to  the  Lord.  Saul  of  Tarsus  was 
among  the  believers.  He  was  worth  ten  thousand  average 
men,  because  he  was  a  chosen  vessel  to  bear  the  name  of 
Christ  before  the  Gentiles  and  kings  and  the  children  of  Israel. 
In  Antioch  much  people  was  added  to  the  Lord.  In  Iconium 
a  great  multitude  both  of  Jews  and  Greeks  believed.  In  Derbe, 
many  disciples  were  made.  In  Thessalonica  some  of  those 
who  heard  were  persuaded,  and  of  the  devout  Greeks  a  great 
multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few.  In  Bercea  many 
believed ;  also  of  the  Greek  women  of  honourable  estate,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  men.  Many  of  the  Corinthians  hear- 
ing believed,  and  were  baptized.  In  Ephesus  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  was  magnified  both  among  Jews  and  Greeks.  The 
statement  follows  :  **  So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  the  Lord 
and  prevailed."  The  Epistles  say  that  what  had  been  kept  in 
silence  through  times  eternal  was  made  known  to  all  the 
nations  unto  obedience  of  faith.  It  is  stated  that  the  gospel 
was  bearing  fruit  in  all  the  world,  and  increasing.  Wherever 
the  gospel  was  preached  souls  were  won.  In  many  cases  the 
number  of  the  converts  was  very  great. 

The  testimony  of  later  writers  is  in  harmony  with  that  of 
the  New  Testament.  Tacitus  speaks  of  the  Christians  as  "an 
immense  multitude."  Pliny,  the  Proconsul  of  Bithynia,  wrote 
to  Trajan  that  many  of  all  ages  and  ranks,  and  of  both  sexes, 
had  become  Christians.  The  movement  was  not  confined  to 
the  cities,  but  had  spread  into  the  villages  and  into  the  coun- 
try ;  the  temples  were  deserted ;  and  sacred  rites  were  inter- 
rupted;  and  the  animals  for  sacrifice  found  few  purchasers. 
TertuUian  of  Carthage  wrote,  "  Men  cry  that  the  state  is  be- 
sieged ;  that  Christians  are  in  the  fields,  in  the  forts,  in  the 
islands;  they  mourn  as  for  a  loss,  that  every  sex,  age,  con- 
dition, and  even  rank  are  going  over  to  this  sect."     The  same 


Christianity  Triumphant  217 

writer  spoke  of  whole  nations  emerging  from  the  whirlpool  of 
error,  to  God  their  Creator,  and  to  Christ  as  God.  Speaking 
of  our  Lord  Eusebius  said,  ''  He  alone  of  all  who  ever  lived  is 
still  called  by  the  name  of  Christ,  among  all  men  over  the 
world ;  yea  confessed  and  witnessed  to  under  this  title,  and 
commemorated  by  Greeks  and  Barbarians,  and  even  to  this 
day  is  honoured  as  a  king  by  His  followers  throughout  the 
world,  admired  as  something  greater  than  a  prophet."  He 
alleged  that  Christians  were  the  most  populous  of  all  nations ; 
church  buildings  were  too  small;  so  they  had  to  be  pulled 
down  to  make  room  for  new  and  larger  structures.  He  spoke 
of  the  church  as  shining  throughout  the  world  like  the  most 
brilliant  constellations,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
flourishing  among  all  the  human  race.  Origen  said  that  the 
word  spoken  with  power  had  gained  the  mastery  over  men  of 
all  sorts  of  nature,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  any  race  of 
men  which  had  escaped  accepting  the  testimony  of  Jesus. 
Lactantius  testifies  as  follows  :  ''  There  was  no  nook  or  corner 
of  the  earth  so  remote  that  the  divine  religion  had  not  reached 
it,  no  nation  so  rough  in  life  that  it  was  not  mellowing  to 
works  of  righteousness  by  having  accepted  the  worship  of 
God. "  Porphyry  affirmed  that  every  corner  of  the  universe  had 
experienced  the  gospel,  and  the  whole  ends  and  bounds  of  the 
world  were  occupied  with  the  gospel.  Another  early  writer  asks 
what  spot  is  there  upon  the  earth  which  is  not  held  by  the  name 
of  Christ  ?  *^  Where  the  sun  rises  and  sets,  in  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  the  glory  of  His  honourable  heavenly  majesty  has 
filled  creation.  And  although  the  dying  limbs  of  idolatry  still 
quiver  in  some  countries,  this  deadly  evil  is  to  be  cut  off  by 
Christians  in  every  land."  Arnobius  declared  that  the  sacra- 
ments of  this  great  Name  are  now  spread  all  over  the  earth  in 
so  short  a  time.  <*  No  nation  now  is  so  barbarous  and  ignorant 
of  mercy,  that  it  has  not  been  turned  to  modify  its  harsh  ways, 
and  to  come  over  to  a  peaceful  temper  by  an  acceptance  of 
peace."     Lucian  of  Antioch  held  that  the  greater  part  of  the 


2i8  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

world,  including  whole  cities,  had  yielded  obedience  to  the 
truth.  In  the  time  of  Diocletian  Christian  men  were  entrusted 
with  the  government  of  provinces,  and  were  discharged  from 
the  duty  of  offering  sacrifices.  One  of  the  emperors  gave  as  a 
reason  for  stopping  the  persecutions,  that  he  had  seen  that 
almost  all  men  were  abandoning  the  worship  of  the  gods  and 
attaching  themselves  to  the  party  of  the  Christians. 

The  gospel  won  its  triumphs,  not  only  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  but  in  all  classes  of  society.  Paul  told  the  Corinthians 
that  not  many  wise  or  mighty  or  noble  were  called.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  converts  came  from  the  humbler  classes.  But  the 
record  shows  that  there  were  some  wise  and  influential  and 
noble  men  and  women  among  the  believers.  It  was  the  com- 
mon people  that  heard  the  Teacher  gladly.  The  rulers  and  the 
Pharisees,  for  the  most  part,  held  aloof  or  opposed.  Never- 
theless there  were  some  persons  of  property  and  social  position 
among  the  first  disciples.  Thus  Nicodemus  was  a  ruler  of  the 
Jews.  Joseph  was  a  member  of  the  supreme  court,  and  a  man 
of  wealth  and  power.  Zaccheus  was  a  publican  and  was  rich. 
Matthew  had  a  home  of  his  own  and  made  a  great  feast  in 
honour  of  our  Lord.  Barnabas  and  Ananias  were  men  of 
property.  Cornelius  and  Sergius  Paulus  were  Roman  officials. 
Manaen  was  the  foster-brother  of  Herod.  Lydia  was  a  seller 
of  purple  and  had  a  considerable  household.  Crispus  was  a 
ruler  of  the  synagogue.  Aquila  and  Prisca  had  their  own 
home  and  conducted  a  business  of  their  own.  Erastus  was  the 
treasurer  of  Corinth.  Gaius  was  Paul's  host  and  the  host  of 
the  entire  church.  Philemon  was  a  man  of  some  note;  he  had 
a  house  and  servants  and  refreshed  many  of  the  saints.  Gaius 
to  whom  John  wrote  an  Epistle  and  the  most  excellent 
Theophilus  to  whom  the  Gospel  by  Luke  and  The  Acts  were 
dedicated  were  men  of  mark.  The  converts  in  Ephesus  had 
magical  books  worth  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver.  We  read 
of  the  saints  in  Caesar's  household.  Harnack  contends  that  we 
are  able  to-day  on  the  basis  of  fully  authenticated  records  to 


Christianity  Triumphant  219 

declare  with  satisfactory  certainty,  that  even  in  the  time  of  the 
Apostles,  the  palace  of  the  emperor  was  a  seat  of  the  growing 
church  in  Rome.  The  warnings  against  the  abuse  of  wealth 
which  are  found  in  Timothy  and  in  the  Epistle  of  James  and  in 
the  Apocalypse  show  that  the  church  had  some  men  of  wealth 
and  standing  among  its  members.  Most  of  the  converts  came 
from  the  middle  and  lower  classes,  but  there  were  some  from 
the  other  classes. 

Gibbon  maintains  that  the  new  sect  was  almost  entirely  com- 
posed of  the  dregs  of  the  populace ;  of  peasants  and  mechanics, 
of  boys  and  women,  of  beggars  and  slaves.  Celsus  says  the 
same  thing  in  effect.  These  statements  are  not  borne  out  by 
the  facts.  Origen  says  that  among  the  multitude  of  converts 
the  simple  and  ignorant  necessarily  outnumbered  the  intelli- 
gent, as  the  former  always  do  the  latter.  But  there  is  an 
abundance  of  evidence  showing  that  all  ranks  and  conditions 
were  reached.  Ramsay  holds  that  Christianity  spread  at  first 
among  the  educated  more  rapidly  than  among  the  uneducated. 
We  are  told  that  it  spread  among  the  aristocratic,  the  wealthy, 
the  cultured,  and  the  official  classes;  at  court,  in  the  army, 
and  among  women.  Thus  Eusebius  says,  "  Still  more  wonder- 
ful were  those  conspicuous  for  their  wealth,  birth,  and  high 
position,  and  the  eminent  in  learning  and  philosophy  yet 
ranked  everything  second  to  their  faith.  In  one  city  in 
Phrygia  all  the  inhabitants,  together  with  the  mayor,  the  gov- 
ernor, all  who  held  office,  and  the  entire  populace  to  boot, 
confessed  themselves  Christians,  nor  would  they  obey  in  the 
least  those  who  bade  them  worship  idols.  In  the  time  of  Philip 
the  Arabian  it  is  said  that  Christians  were  found  occupying  the 
chief  places  of  honour  at  the  court  and  in  the  state,  while  their 
religion  enjoyed  high  esteem  as  well  as  perfect  liberty  among 
Greeks  and  Barbarians.  A  large  number  of  the  people  of 
Rome,  eminent  for  great  wealth  and  high  birth,  turned  to  their 
salvation  along  with  all  their  households  and  families.  Refer- 
ring to  the  catacombs  Godet  says  that  there  are  found  at  every 


220  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

step  in  those  burying  places  names  belonging  to  the  noblest 
families  of  the  city,  some  of  them  even  closely  related  to  the 
imperial  family.  This  fact  demonstrates  that  Christianity 
found  access  from  the  first  to  the  upper  classes  of  Roman 
society.  Of  the  court  of  Valerian  it  is  said  that  it  was  full  of 
pious  people ;  it  was  a  veritable  church  of  God. 

Women  were  numbered  among  the  converts  and  given  a 
place  in  the  church.  Some  women  followed  our  Lord  on  His 
preaching  tours  and  ministered  to  Him  of  their  substance. 
Among  these  were  Mary  Magdalene  and  Joanna,  the  wife  of 
Herod's  steward,  and  Susanna,  and  many  others.  It  was  to  a 
woman  that  our  Lord  first  appeared  after  He  rose  from  the  dead. 
He  said  to  her,  '<  Go  unto  My  brethren,  and  say  to  them,  *I 
ascend  unto  My  Father  and  your  Father,  and  My  God  and 
your  God.'  "  A  company  of  women  continued  steadfastly  in 
prayer  with  the  brethren  in  Jerusalem  while  they  were  waiting 
for  the  promised  Spirit.  In  Samaria  women  and  men  were  en- 
rolled as  believers.  The  first  convert  in  Europe  was  a  woman. 
In  Thessalonica  there  were  many  of  the  chief  women  among 
the  converts.  The  same  was  true  in  Beroea.  One  of  the  two 
converts  in  Athens  was  Damaris,  a  woman.  Philip  the  evan- 
gelist had  four  daughters  who  prophesied.  Phoebe  was  a  serv- 
ant of  the  church  in  Cenchrese,  and  had  been  ahelper  of  many 
and  of  the  great  apostle.  Prisca  and  Aquila  laid  down  their 
necks  for  His  life.  Paul  considers  Tryphaena  and  Tryphosa  and 
Persis  and  Mary  and  Euodia  and  Syntyche  worthy  of  special 
mention.  He  sent  salutations  to  eighteen  men  and  to  fifteen 
women.  John  addressed  one  of  his  letters  to  the  Elect  Lady 
and  to  her  children,  whom  he  loved  in  the  truth.  By  winning 
the  woman  and  the  man  the  Christian  home  was  made  possible. 
Women  were  taught  to  conduct  themselves  modestly  and  be- 
comingly ;  that  even  if  their  husbands  obeyed  not  the  word, 
they  might  without  the  word  be  gained  by  the  behaviour  of 
their  wives. 

The  gospel  won  its  greatest  victories  in  the  cities.     It  is  said 


Christianity  Triumphant  221 

that  the  larger  the  city  or  town,  the  larger  the  church  that  grew 
up  ill  it.  We  learn  from  the  New  Testament  that  there  were 
churches  or  believers  in  the  following  cities:  Jerusalem, 
Samaria,  Joppa,  Csesarea,  Sharon,  Tyre,  Sidon,  Ptolemais, 
Damascus,  Salamis,  Antioch,  Tarsus,  Derbe,  Lystra,  Iconium, 
Hierapolis,  Colossse,  Philadelphia,  Sardis,  Thyatira,  Pergamum, 
Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Philippi,  Thessalonica,  Beroea,  Corinth, 
Athens,  Cenchreae,  Rome,  Babylon.  The  cities  were  centres 
of  commerce,  and  government,  and  civilization.  The  cities 
lent  extraordinary  advantages  to  the  church.  From  the  cities 
the  gospel  penetrated  deep  into  the  country  districts.  Thus 
Paul  spent  two  whole  years  in  Ephesus,  the  capital  of  the 
Roman  province  of  Asia ;  as  a  result  all  that  dwelt  in  Asia 
heard  the  word  of  the  Lord,  both  Jews  and  Greeks.  The 
seven  churches  mentioned  in  Revelation  were  located  in  cities 
that  were  great  centres  of  trade.  By  capturing  the  cities  the 
empire  was  practically  won. 

III.  Of  the  obstacles  the  church  encountered  and  overcame 
in  order  to  triumph.  At  first  it  was  ignored.  It  was  small 
and  poor,  and  the  authorities  did  not  condescend  to  notice  it. 
They  saw  in  it  no  ground  for  alarm.  As  it  grew  in  numbers 
and  influence  it  was  assailed  with  all  the  resources  of  argument 
and  ridicule.  The  Christians  were  accused  of  the  foulest 
crimes  ;  they  were  lampooned  ;  they  were  cursed  ;  they  were 
charged  with  atheism  and  treason ;  they  were  outlawed  by 
judges ;  they  were  sent  to  the  stake  and  to  the  block.  Because 
they  had  neither  temples  nor  altars,  and  because  they  refused  to 
acknowledge  the  divinity  of  the  emperor  and  would  not  worship 
the  gods,  they  were  called  atheists.  They  were  charged  with 
incest  and  child-murder  and  cannibalism.  It  was  said  of  them 
that  they  were  haters  of  mankind.  It  was  alleged  that  they 
were  rustic  and  illiterate  fellows ;  that  they  admitted  no  wise 
men  to  fellowship.  It  was  affirmed  that  they  said,  "Let  no 
man  come  that  is  learned,  wise,  and  prudent  "  ;  for  these 
things   they  account  evil  and  unlawful,  **but  if  any  be  un- 


222  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

learned,  an  infant  or  an  idiot,  let  him  come  and  welcome"; 
thus  openly  declaring  that  none  but  fools  and  such  as  are  de- 
void of  sense  and  reason,  slaves  and  silly  women  and  little 
children,  are  fit  disciples  for  the  God  they  worship.  The 
Christians  were  sneered  at  as  a  poor,  beggarly,  hunger-starved 
generation,  as  the  scum  and  refuse  of  the  people.  It  was  said 
that  at  home  and  before  their  elders  and  betters  they  were  as 
silent  as  fishes,  but  when  they  got  some  women  and  some  chil- 
dren together,  who  then  was  so  wise  and  so  learned  ?  who  so 
full  of  talk  and  so  able  to  teach  and  to  instruct  as  they? 
They  were  denounced  as  mountebanks  and  impostors,  who 
bragged  great  things  in  the  presence  of  the  vulgar,  in  the 
company  of  boys  and  slaves  and  simple  people. 

The  next  step  was  persecution.  The  vested  interests  led  the 
attack.  The  masters  of  the  Philippian  maid  who  had  the  spirit 
of  divination  saw  that  the  hope  of  gain  was  gone,  when  the 
evil  spirit  was  driven  out,  and  they  laid  hold  of  Paul  and  Silas 
and  dragged  them  before  the  rulers  and  preferred  charges 
against  them.  Because  of  these  charges  the  apostles  were 
beaten  and  thrust  into  prison.  Later  Paul's  preaching  stirred 
up  the  silversmiths  of  Ephesus.  They  saw  that  if  his  preach- 
ing prevailed  their  business  would  be  destroyed,  and  the  tem- 
ple of  the  great  goddess  Diana  would  be  made  of  no  account. 
The  historian  says  that  the  animals  offered  in  sale  for  sacrifice 
and  the  fodder  for  these  animals  found  few  purchasers.  The 
change  in  faith  led  to  a  financial  loss  on  the  part  of  some. 

In  course  of  time  Christianity  became  a  forbidden  faith. 
The  edict  of  one  emperor  said  that  on  a  fixed  day  in  every  part 
of  the  empire  every  suspected  person,  without  distinction  of 
age  or  sex,  must  appear  at  a  temple  and  offer  sacrifice  or  burn 
incense ;  he  must  blaspheme  Christ,  and  then  partake  of  meat 
which  had  been  offered  to  idols.  Another  edict  said  that  the 
churches  were  to  be  destroyed  ;  the  Christian  sacred  books 
were  to  be  burned ;  the  Christians  were  to  be  deprived  of  all  civil 
rights  and  of  any  official  position  which  they  might  hold ;  and 


Christianity  Triumphant  223 

Christians  holding  any  position  at  court,  if  they  were  obstinate 
in  refusing  to  deny  their  faith,  were  threatened  with  slavery. 
Men  were  punished  if  they  confessed  that  they  were  Chris- 
tians. It  was  a  crime  to  wear  the  name  of  Christ.  Christians 
were  regarded  as  criminals  and  worthy  of  death.  They  were 
dealt  with  as  brigands  caught  in  the  act.  If  there  was  any 
public  calamity  the  blame  was  laid  at  the  door  of  the  Chris- 
tians. "If  the  Tiber  rises,  if  the  Nile  does  not  rise,  if  the 
heavens  give  no  rain,  if  there  is  an  earthquake,  famine,  or  pes- 
tilence, straightway  the  cry  is,  *  Christians  to  the  lions.'" 
Christians  were  sewed  up  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  and  dogs 
tore  them  to  pieces.  Some  were  smeared  with  inflammable  gums 
and  placed  at  convenient  intervals  in  Nero's  garden  and  set  on 
fire,  and  thus  were  made  to  serve  the  purpose  of  lamps,  while 
Nero  clad  as  a  charioteer  conducted  a  chariot  race  for  the  de- 
light of  the  multitude.  Juvenal  spoke  of  the  Christians  in  these 
words, 

"  At  the  stake  they  shine, 
Who  stand  with  throat  transfixed,  and  smoke  and  bum." 

The  last  attempt  of  the  opponents  of  the  faith  was  that  of 
compromise  and  imitation.  Christianity  was  no  longer  the  ob- 
ject of  unqualified  ridicule;  only  its  exclusive  claims  were 
challenged.  Christ  and  His  teachings  were  respected;  only 
those  who  worshipped  Him  as  God  were  calumniated.  Alex- 
ander Severus  placed  an  image  of  Christ  in  his  private  chapel 
together  with  images  of  Apollonius  and  Orpheus  and  Abraham. 
An  eclectic  system  of  religion  was  invented.  It  consisted  of  a 
combination  of  elements  taken  from  all  the  religions  and  from 
Oriental  mysticism  and  from  Platonic  speculations  with  a  dash 
of  Christianity.  There  was  a  Trinity,  a  Saviour  both  human 
and  Divine,  a  doctrine  of  mediation,  of  atonement,  and  of  a 
future  life,  a  form  of  baptism  and  the  Eucharist.  Paganism 
was  copying  Christianity,  and,  as  has  been  said,  was  by  that 
act  lowering  her  arms.     Lightfoot  said  under  the  banner  of 


224  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

Neo-Platonism  and  with  weapons  forged  in  the  armoury  of 
Christianity  itself,  the  contest  is  renewed.  **  But  the  day  of 
heathenism  is  past.  This  new  champion  retires  from  the  field 
of  conflict  in  confusion  and  the  gospel  remains  in  sole  posses- 
sion of  the  field." 

These  obstacles  could  hinder  and  modify  the  progress  of  the 
gospel,  but  they  could  not  arrest  it.  Some  of  the  Christians 
said  of  themselves  that  they  did  not  speak  great  things ;  they 
did  great  things.  When  they  were  accused  of  atrocious  crimes 
they  replied,  **  We  are  Christians;  among  us  no  evil  is  done." 

They  could  cite  the  testimony  of  Pliny  which  was  to  the  ef- 
fect that  they  bound  themselves  to  abstain  from  theft,  brigand- 
age, and  adultery,  to  keep  their  word,  and  not  refuse  to  re- 
store what  had  been  entrusted  to  them.  When  they  were 
ridiculed  as  rustics  and  illiterates  they  could  point  to  the  large 
number  of  orators  and  grammarians  and  philosophers  and 
physicians  and  lawyers  and  other  men  of  renown  who  had  cast 
in  their  lot  with  them.  When  they  suffered  for  the  Name  of 
Christ  they  counted  it  an  honour.  They  glorified  God  in  that 
Name.  They  did  not  count  their  lives  as  of  any  account  to 
themselves,  if  by  their  death  they  could  do  most  to  advance  the 
cause  of  Christ  in  the  world.  Polycarp  said,  **  Eighty  and  six 
years  have  I  served  Him ;  He  has  done  me  no  wrong ;  how  then 
can  I  blaspheme  His  name,  my  King  who  saved  me  ?  "  With 
such  champions  the  church  must  triumph ;  failure  was  impossible. 

In  the  year  313  the  Edict  of  Toleration  was  issued.  Prior 
to  that  time  Constantine  was  enrolled  among  the  converts.  It 
was  in  the  sign  of  the  Cross  that  he  crushed  his  pagan  rival  and 
became  sole  emperor.  The  Edict  put  an  end  to  persecution. 
Christianity  had  won  the  day.  Professor  Freeman  says,  ''The 
miracle  of  miracles,  greater  than  dried  up  seas  and  cloven 
rocks,  greater  than  the  dead  rising  to  life,  was  when  Augustus 
on  his  throne,  pontiff  of  gods  and  Rome,  himself  a  god  to  the 
subjects  of  Rome,  bent  himself  to  become  the  worshipper  of  a 
crucified   provincial   of  his  empire."     Julian,   a  nephew  of 


Christianity  Triumphant  225 

Constantine,  undertook  to  restore  Paganism.  He  went  to  the 
Grove  at  Daphne  to  worship.  He  expected  to  find  a  sumptuous 
sacrifice  and  a  festal  crowd  of  worshippers.  But  he  was  greeted 
by  no  crowd ;  he  was  greeted  with  neither  choral  songs  nor 
fragrant  incense.  There  was  one  priest,  and  one  boy,  and  one 
goose,  which  was  to  be  offered  to  the  god  of  the  Sun. 
Paganism  was  dead  and  could  not  be  galvanized  into  the 
semblance  of  life.  Soon  after  Julian  died  and  the  attempted 
restoration  came  to  an  end.     The  Galilean  had  conquered. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  mighty  system  of  false  religion 
which  Christianity  had  to  confront  has  not  now  a  single  temple, 
nor  a  single  worshipper,  left  in  all  the  lands  where  it  once 
prevailed.  Yet  it  was  a  system  so  wide- spread  and  supported 
by  so  many  interests,  that  it  might  have  seemed  able  to  bid 
defiance  to  all  attacks. 

The  church  of  that  time  had  the  Mediterranean  world  as  its 
field,  and  a  hundred  million  souls  to  evangelize  and  Chris- 
tianize. The  church  of  to-day  has  the  whole  world  and  a 
population  sixteen  times  as  great.  The  church  of  that  time 
had  one  strong  central  government  to  deal  with.  We  have 
many  governments  to  deal  with ;  but  under  all  we  are  free  to 
carry  on  our  work.  The  church  of  that  time  found  a  system  of 
roads  stretching  out  from  the  Golden  Milestone  in  the  Forum 
to  Cadiz,  to  the  Rhine,  to  the  Danube,  to  the  Dardanelles. 
We  have  railroads  and  steamships  and  cables  and  telegraphs. 
Then  one  language  was  understood  by  educated  people  in  all 
parts  of  the  empire.  Now  many  languages  must  be  mastered ; 
but  with  grammars  and  lexicons  ready  to  hand  this  task  is  im- 
mensely simplified.  Then  there  was  a  peculiar  people  found 
in  every  city ;  they  had  the  law  of  Moses  and  the  prophecies 
and  the  psalms ;  their  synagogues  were  open  to  the  mission- 
aries. These  people  were  in  a  measure  prepared  to  hear  and 
to  accept  the  truth.  No  such  people  is  found  to-day  in  the 
non-Christian  lands.  But  the  Christian  nations  are  rich  and 
powerful,  and  their  fame  has  gone  out  into  all  the  earth.     The 


226  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

missionaries  are  supposed  to  represent  these  nations  ;  that  gives 
them  a  certain  prestige  and  secures  a  hearing  for  their  message. 
The  church  herself  is  rich  and  strong  and  respected.  She  has 
a  vast  Hterature  and  is  prepared  to  equip  her  agents  as  no 
apostle  or  evangelist  was  equipped  in  that  early  time.  The 
church  of  to-day  has  many  advantages  that  the  church  in  the 
first  centuries  did  not  have. 

We  know  that  the  early  missionaries  went  about  this  work  in 
earnest.  "  On  Roman  roads  built  for  military  expeditions, 
down  the  current  of  strange  rivers,  into  forest  recesses,  into 
the  thick  of  city  life  where  the  convention  of  culture  and  the 
cruelties  of  paganism  offered  bitter  welcome  they  went  forward 
to  their  destiny,  evermore  dreamers  who  made  the  dream  come 
true."  Nothing  less  than  the  whole  creation  could  satisfy 
them.  It  is  for  us  of  to-day  to  see  the  same  vision,  to  be 
actuated  by  the  same  motives,  and  to  seek  the  same  goal.  It 
is  for  us  to  do  as  much  as  in  us  lies  that  we  may  hasten  the 
time  when  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow,  of  things 
in  heaven  and  things  on  earth  and  things  under  the  earth,  and 
when  every  tongue  shall  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 


XXI 

CHRISTIAN  UNITY  AND  WORLD-WIDE 
EVANGELISM 

Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  that  believe  on 
Me  through  their  word ;  that  they  all  may  be  one ;  even  as 
Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in 
us :  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  didst  send  Me.  And 
the  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  Mel  have  given  unto  them  ; 
that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one  ;  I  in  them,  and  Thou 
in  Me,  that  they  may  be  perfected  into  one  ;  that  the  world  may 
know  that  Thou  didst  send  Me,  and  lovedst  them,  even  as  Thou 
lovedst  Me. — John  17:  20-23. 

THE  only  prayer  of  our  Lord  that  is  recorded  at  length 
is  found  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of  the  gospel  ac- 
cording to  John.  The  unity  of  His  followers  is  the 
central  thing  in  that  marvellous  prayer.  "Holy  Father,  keep 
them  in  Thy  name  which  Thou  hast  given  Me,  that  they  may  be 
one,  even  as  we  are."  *'  Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but 
for  them  also  that  believe  on  Me  through  their  word ;  that  they 
all  may  be  one ;  even  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee, 
that  they  may  be  in  us ;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou 
didst  send  Me."  He  had  in  mind  the  widest  possible  exten- 
sion of  His  kingdom.  He  was  thinking  of  the  time  when  the 
gospel  would  be  preached  in  all  creation  under  heaven,  and  He 
prayed  for  the  unity  of  those  called  out  of  every  nation  and 
tongue  and  tribe  and  people.  It  was  through  a  united  church 
that  the  world  was  to  be  won  from  sin  to  holiness.  I  am  to 
speak  of  Christian  unity  in  its  relation  to  world-wide  evangelism, 
I  ask  you  to  note  : 

227 


228  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

I.  The  emphasis  placed  on  unity  in  the  Scriptures.  Our 
Lord  said,  "And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this 
fold  :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  My  voice ; 
and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one  shepherd."  As  there  is 
one  and  but  one  God  and  Father,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
so  there  is  to  be  one  flock  or  one  household  of  the  faith. 
There  is  one  divine  Teacher,  and  all  His  pupils  are  brethren. 
The  believers  gathered  out  of  all  nations  are  to  form  one  body, 
and  of  that  one  body  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head.  So  it  is  said, 
"There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  ye  were  called  in 
one  hope  of  your  calling ;  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  one 
God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  over  all  and  through  all  and  in  all." 
In  this  one  sentence  the  thought  of  unity  is  presented  seven 
times.  Again,  "  For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many  mem- 
bers, and  all  the  members  of  the  body,  being  many,  are  one 
body;  so  also  is  Christ.  For  in  one  Spirit  were  we  all 
baptized  into  one  body,  whether  Jews  or  Greeks,  whether 
bond  or  free ;  and  all  were  made  to  drink  of  one  Spirit.  For 
the  body  is  not  one  member,  but  many."  There  are  many 
members  but  one  body.  The  same  thought  is  found  in 
Galatians.  "For  ye  are  all  the  sons  of  God  through  faith  in 
Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many  of  you  as  were  baptized  into 
Christ  did  put  on  Christ.  There  can  be  neither  Greek  nor 
Jew,  there  can  be  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  can  be  no  male 
or  female;  for  ye  are  all  one  man  in  Christ  Jesus."  Race 
and  national  distinctions  are  done  away.  All  are  fellow  mem- 
bers of  the  body,  and  fellow  heirs,  and  fellow  partakers  of  the 
promise  of  Christ  in  the  gospel.  Paul  prayed  thus  for  the 
Christians  in  Rome,  "  Now  the  God  of  patience  and  comfort 
grant  you  to  be  of  the  same  mind  one  with  another  according 
to  Jesus  Christ ;  that  with  one  accord  ye  may  with  one  mouth 
glorify  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  To 
the  Philippians  he  said,  "Only  let  your  manner  of  life  be 
worthy  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  that  whether  I  come  and  see 
you  or  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  state,  that  ye  stand  fast 


Christian  Unity  229 

in  one  Spirit,  with  one  soul  striving  for  the  faith  of  the 
gospel."  He  besought  them  that  they  fulfill  His  joy,  "that 
they  be  of  the  same  mind,  having  the  same  love,  being  of  one 
accord,  of  one  mind  j  doing  nothing  through  strife  or  vainglory, 
but  in  lowliness  of  mind,  each  counting  the  other  better  than 
himself;  not  looking  each  one  to  his  own  things,  but  each  one 
also  to  the  things  of  others."  To  the  Corinthians  he  said, 
"Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  through  the  name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there 
be  no  division  among  you ;  but  that  ye  be  perfected  together 
in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment."  In  that  time 
some  were  contentious.  There  were  those  who  said,  "I  am 
of  Paul";  and  others  who  said,  "I  am  of  Apollos  " ;  and 
others  still  who  said,  "And  I  am  of  Peter."  The  answer  to 
these  contentious  ones  was,  "Is  Christ  divided?  was  Paul 
crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  ye  baptized  into  the  name  of  Paul  ? 
Who  is  Paul  ?  and  who  is  Apollos  ?  but  ministers  by  whom  ye 
believed."  They  were  baptized  into  the  name  of  Christ  and  in 
their  baptism  they  accepted  Him  as  their  Saviour  and  their 
Lord.  Baptism  is  a  unifying  ordinance ;  it  brings  the  baptized 
into  Christ,  and  not  into  Paul  or  Apollos  or  Peter.  The 
Lord's  Supper  brings  us  to  His  table  and  thus  unites  us  as  one 
family.     We  being  many  are  one  body,  one  bread. 

Because  of  the  natural  tendencies  towards  division  and  strife 
the  apostles  urged  the  early  Christians  to  endeavour  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace.  For  the  same  reason 
our  Lord  prayed  that  they  might  be  one.  There  are  few  sub- 
jects upon  which  so  much  is  said  in  the  New  Testament  as 
upon  unity.  This  subject  bulks  large  in  the  thought  of  Christ 
and  His  apostles.  The  danger  was  great;  so  the  note  of 
warning  rings  out  clear  and  strong  from  the  very  shadow  of 
the  cross. 

II.  The  nature  of  the  unity  for  which  our  Lord  prayed. 
This  is  set  forth  under  various  figures.  It  is  like  the  union  of 
the  different  members  of  the  body  in  the  body.     These  are 


230  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

pervaded  with  the  same  life ;  they  constitute  one  organism. 
They  are  so  adjusted  in  the  body  that  there  is  no  schism. 
Each  is  concerned  about  the  welfare  of  all  the  others.  If  one 
member  suffers  all  the  members  suffer  with  it ;  if  one  member 
is  honoured  all  rejoice  with  it.  It  is  like  the  union  of  the 
branches  and  the  vine.  Every  branch  shares  in  the  common 
life  of  the  vine.  This  union  is  a  vital  one,  and  not  at  all  like  the 
union  of  staves  in  a  barrel  or  bricks  in  a  wall.  Christians  are 
partakers  of  the  Divine  nature.  They  have  a  new  heart  and  a 
new  spirit.  Beheving  in  Christ  they  have  life  in  His  name. 
They  are  animated  by  the  same  Spirit  of  holiness.  So  it  is 
said,  '*He  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one  Spirit."  The 
Christian  can  say,  **I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  lives  in  me; 
and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  not  of  myself, 
but  by  the  faith  of  Him  that  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  up 
for  me."  Having  Christ's  life  in  him  he  resembles  Christ  in 
feeling,  in  purpose,  in  judgment,  in  aspiration,  and  in  motive. 
He  loves  and  hates  the  same  things.  He  seeks  the  same  ends. 
This  union  is  similiar  to  that  subsisting  between  the  Father  and 
the  Son.  "  Even  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee, 
that  they  may  be  in  us."  '*  And  the  glory  which  Thou  hast 
given  Me  I  have  given  unto  them  3  that  they  may  be  one,  even 
as  we  are  one ;  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in  Me,  that  they  may  be 
perfected  into  one."  This  is  a  double  unity  ;  they  are  united 
in  themselves  and  they  are  united  in  Christ.  The  Father  is  in 
the  Son,  as  His  organ  of  manifestation  and  the  object  of  His 
affection  ;  and  the  Son  is  in  the  Father  abiding  ever  in  the 
light  of  His  glory  and  in  the  power  of  His  name.  "  I  and  the 
Father  are  one."  They  are  one  in  essence,  one  in  aim,  one  in 
desire,  and  one  in  effort.  The  Father  loves  the  Son  and  the 
Son  loves  and  serves  the  Father.  There  can  be  no  clash  be- 
tween them.  It  is  desired  that  those  who  are  born  of  God  and 
know  God  should  constitute  a  unity  resembling  that  in  its 
intimacy  and  harmony.  So  we  are  taught  to  cultivate  what- 
ever will  strengthen  the  ties  that  bind  us  together.     We  are  to 


Christian  Unity  231 

follow  peace  with  all  men  and  the  holiness  without  which  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

Nothing  is  more  common  than  for  men  to  combine  for  differ- 
ent purposes.  Thus  they  combine  in  business,  in  politics,  and 
in  sport.  Very  often  the  only  thing  in  which  they  all  agree  is 
the  end  sought.  Thus  in  business  they  seek  for  profits.  In 
politics  they  seek  the  offices  or  the  adoption  of  certain  policies. 
In  sport  they  seek  amusement.  There  is  no  change  in  their 
natures  or  in  their  views  when  they  enter  into  those  combina- 
tions. They  are  precisely  the  same  after  that  they  were  before. 
It  is  not  so  here.  Those  who  constitute  the  body  of  Christ 
have  been  begotten  from  above.  They  have  been  washed,  and 
justified  and  sanctified  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the 
Spirit  of  our  God.  They  have  been  renewed  in  mind  after  the 
image  of  their  creator.  And  now  with  open  face  beholding  as 
in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord  they  are  changed  into  the  same 
image,  from  glory  unto  glory,  even  as  by  the  Lord  the  Spirit. 
Again,  we  can  form  mechanical  unions.  We  can  bind  wood  and 
iron  and  gold  and  silver  together.  Each  object  that  enters  the 
combination  retainsall  the  qualities  peculiarto  it.  There  isunion 
in  such  combinations  but  not  unity.  Gold  is  the  same  in  all  parts 
of  the  universe.  It  is  the  same  in  all  ages  and  in  all  worlds. 
The  same  is  true  of  all  metals.  The  same  is  true  of  all  Chris- 
tians. They  are  begotten  of  God ;  they  are  possessed  of  His 
nature ;  they  are  one  in  mind  and  in  heart.  They  are  one  in 
spite  of  the  flight  of  time.  Christians  of  the  first  century  and 
of  the  last  and  of  all  intervening  centuries  form  one  community. 
They  are  one  in  spite  of  space.  Christians  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  those  that  speak  different  tongues  and  have  different 
manners  and  customs  are  one  flock,  even  as  they  are  all  tended 
by  one  Shepherd.  They  are  one  in  spite  of  all  differences, 
physical,  mental,  social,  and  spiritual.  They  are  children  of 
one  Father  and  they  constitute  the  one  household  of  the  faith. 

III.  The  basis  of  the  tmity  for  which  Jesus  prayed. 
Speaking  through  one  of  the  Prophets  the  Lord  said,  **  Behold, 


232  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

I  lay  in  Zion  for  a  foundation  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious 
corner-stone  of  sure  foundation."  The  apostle  said,  "Other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ. ' ' 
Christians  are  said  to  be  built  upon  the  foundation  of  apostles 
and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone. 
They  are  living  stones  and  are  built  up  a  spiritual  house,  to  be 
a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices  acceptable 
through  Jesus  Christ.  Christ  Himself  is  the  only  basis  of 
unity.  We  can  unite  on  Him ;  we  cannot  unite  on  a  theory 
of  the  atonement  or  of  inspiration,  or  upon  the  five  points 
of  Calvinism  or  on  the  five  points  of  Arminianism.  Our 
schisms  are  the  result  of  building  in  whole  or  in  part  on  some 
other  foundation.  We  have  found  some  other  rock  than 
Christ.  We  do  not  differ  about  Him,  but  about  what  some- 
body said  about  what  He  said  or  did  or  was.  All  can  accept 
Him  as  their  Saviour  and  Lord ;  all  cannot  accept  the  theories 
or  conclusions  of  the  fathers  or  of  the  councils  or  of  the  schools. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  have  complete  and  exact  knowledge 
about  Christ  and  the  method  of  His  salvation.  It  is  necessary 
that  we  put  our  trust  in  Him  and  do  His  commandments.  It 
is  not  necessary  for  us  to  understand  astronomy  before  we  enjoy 
the  light  and  warmth  of  the  sun.  It  is  not  necessary  that  we 
know  how  the  seed  grows  in  the  ground  and  how  food  nour- 
ishes the  body ;  the  important  thing  is  that  we  sow  and  eat. 
So  the  essential  thing  for  us  is  to  know  what  Christ  said 
and  to  do  that.  There  is  no  dispute  as  to  what  He  said ; 
the  dispute  is  as  to  substituting  something  else  that  we 
are  told  will  answer  quite  as  well.  It  is  probable  that  we  shall 
never  all  agree  about  the  substitute  proposed  for  what  the  Lord 
commanded.  It  is  only  when  we  hear  His  words  and  do  them 
that  we  can  feel  certain  we  are  standing  on  the  rock. 

This  does  not  mean  that  all  are  to  think  alike  about  every- 
thing. Unity  does  not  mean  the  same  as  uniformity.  The 
branches  differ  in  many  respects.  There  is  endless  variety  in 
the  same  tree.     No  two  branches  and  no  two  leaves  are  ex- 


Christian  Unity  233 

actly  alike.  The  branches  differ  in  length  and  girth  and  in 
form.  But  they  are  all  filled  with  the  same  life  and  all  bear 
the  same  kind  of  fruit.  The  members  of  the  body  differ 
greatly.  No  two  are  alike.  Each  one  has  its  place  and  func- 
tion. The  members  are  all  parts  of  the  body  and  they  all 
work  for  the  good  of  the  general  whole  and  they  are  all  obedient 
to  the  same  brain.  So  there  is  room  for  differences  among  the 
people  of  God.  It  is  not  necessary  nor  is  it  desirable  that  all 
shall  be  as  much  alike  as  coins  from  the  same  mint  or  peas  out 
of  the  same  pod.  Variety  adds  spice  and  contributes  to  prog- 
ress. Americans  differ  about  the  tariff  and  about  finance  and 
about  expansion  and  about  a  thousand  matters  of  more  or  less 
importance.  But  they  all  believe  in  the  country  and  in  its 
institutions.  If  it  were  necessary  they  would  lay  down  their 
lives  for  their  country.  Their  faith  in  America  is  the  principal 
thing ;  their  differing  opinions  about  subordinate  matters  are 
of  little  moment.  So  it  is  our  faith  in  Christ  that  saves  us  and 
not  our  opinions  about  matters  that  He  has  not  revealed.  If 
we  hold  to  Christ  as  the  Head  of  the  body  we  can  well  afford 
to  disagree  about  theoretical  and  philosophical  questions ;  be- 
cause these  no  man  can  know  thoroughly,  and  if  he  did  know 
he  would  be  none  the  better  for  it. 

In  the  Middle  Ages  the  church  was  a  unit.  All  thought 
and  spoke  the  same  things.  But  that  was  not  a  unity  of  life 
and  of  intelligent  loyalty  to  Christ.  It  was  the  unity  of  the 
graveyard  where  all  the  heads  and  all  the  feet  are  turned  in  the 
same  direction.  The  leaders  told  the  people  what  they  were 
to  believe  and  do.  The  people  were  not  supposed  to  be 
capable  of  doing  any  thinking  for  themselves.  One  man  was 
asked  what  he  believed ;  he  said  he  believed  what  the  priest 
believed.  When  asked  what  the  priest  believed ;  he  said  he 
believed  what  the  church  believed.  And  when  asked  what  he 
and  the  church  believed ;  he  said  they  both  believed  the  same 
thing.  There  is  room  for  thought  and  for  opinion ;  the  truth 
is  we  cannot  be  true  to  Christ  and  permit  others  to  think  for  us. 


234  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

If  we  do  our  own  thinking  we  may  come  to  conclusions  differ- 
ing from  those  reached  by  others.  No  matter  as  to  that,  if  we 
hold  fast  to  Christ  as  our  Redeemer  and  Lord  and  do  what  He 
has  commanded.  Our  ground  of  unity  is  in  Him  and  not  in 
our  opinions  or  in  our  reasoning  processes. 

IV.  The  effect  of  the  unity  contemplated.  Our  Lord 
prayed  for  the  unity  of  all  believers  that  the  world  might  be- 
lieve and  know  that  the  Father  had  sent  the  Son.  Unity  was 
not  at  an  end  in  itself,  but  a  means  to  an  end.  The  unity  of 
His  disciples  is  regarded  as  influencing  the  world  to  knowledge 
and  to  faith.  In  fact  it  amounts  to  a  demonstration  of  the 
Messiahship  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  When  the  world  will  see 
millions  called  out  of  it,  distinguished  from  it,  changed  from 
what  they  were  in  heart  and  in  life ;  washed,  justified,  sancti- 
fied, ennobled,  they  will  say,  "We  will  go  with  you;  for  we 
see  that  God  is  in  you."  Matthew  Henry  says,  *'The  unity 
and  harmony  of  Christians,  the  beauty  of  their  conduct,  as 
they  live  and  act  as  brethren  in  the  Lord,  will  constrain  them 
to  believe.  When  Christianity  causes  strife  to  cease,  when  it 
cools  the  fiery,  when  it  smooths  the  rugged,  and  disposes  men 
to  be  kind  and  lovely,  courteous  and  beneficent  to  all  men ; 
studious  to  preserve  and  promote  peace  in  all  relations  of  so- 
ciety; this  will  recommend  it  to  all  who  have  any  natural 
religion  or  any  natural  affection  in  them.  It  will  beget  in  them 
good  thoughts  of  Christ.  They  will  believe  and  know  that 
God  sent  Him,  and  that  His  doctrine  is  true  and  divine,  in 
that  His  religion  prevails  to  join  so  many  of  different  capaci- 
ties, tempers,  and  interests  in  other  things,  in  one  body  of  faith, 
and  in  one  heart  of  love.  It  is  plain  He  was  sent  by  a  God  of 
love  and  peace  when  His  teaching  makes  for  peace  and  concord 
and  good- will."  This  unity  will  produce  an  impression  on  the 
world  which  now  rejects  Christ  and  does  not  believe  in  His 
great  commission.  The  unity  which  springs  from  the  blended 
life  of  the  various  and  even  contradictory  elements  in  the 
church  will  prove  the  reality  of  its  divine  origin. 


Christian  Unity  235 

The  history  of  the  early  church  shows  this.  We  are  told 
that  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one  heart  and 
one  soul ;  and  not  one  of  them  said  that  aught  of  the  things 
he  possessed  was  his  own ;  but  they  had  all  things  common. 
The  church  was  a  unit  in  that  period.  It  had  little  wealth. 
There  were  few  people  of  learning  or  rank  connected  with  it. 
Christianity  was  denounced  as  a  base  superstition ;  its  adhe- 
rents were  called  atheists.  They  are  spoken  of  as  if  they  were 
the  filth  of  the  world  and  the  offscouring  of  all  things.  But 
they  were  united  in  Christ  and  filled  with  His  Spirit  and  they 
were  irresistible.  The  might  of  Rome  went  down  in  defeat 
before  them.  Gibbon  has  shown  us  how  the  banner  of  the 
Cross  was  erected  in  triumph  over  the  ruins  of  the  Capitol. 

It  was  as  clear  as  a  sunbeam  to  Christ  and  His  apostles  that 
the  energy  and  efficiency  of  the  church  would  be  in  proportion 
to  its  unity.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  so  much  thought  and 
space  are  given  to  this  topic  in  the  New  Testament.  The 
factionist  of  that  time  was  the  heretic.  Those  who  caused 
divisions  and  occasions  of  stumbling  were  to  be  marked  and 
avoided.  A  house  or  a  kingdom  divided  against  itself  could 
not  stand.  The  Lord's  work  has  been  seriously  hindered  and 
crippled  by  divisions  and  by  the  evils  that  have  followed  in 
their  train.  Many  seeing  the  condition  of  the  church  were 
scandalized  and  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  At  the 
present  time  the  church  is  broken  up  into  three  main  divisions 
and  into  a  much  greater  number  of  subdivisions.  There  are 
Protestants  and  Catholics  and  Greeks.  These  have  litde  in 
common.  England  has  two  hundred  and  eighty  different  kinds 
of  Christians.  We  have  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in 
America.  There  are  seventeen  branches  of  the  Methodist 
family ;  twenty-two  of  the  Lutheran  ;  eight  of  the  Catholic ; 
thirteen  of  the  Baptist ;  twelve  of  the  Presbyterian  ;  and  six  of 
the  Adventist.  Christendom  is  a  veritable  Babel.  We  know 
the  effect  of  that  upon  thinking  people. 

In  a  village  of  a  thousand  people  there  is  one  school  and  six 


236  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

or  more  churches.  In  cities  churches  are  often  so  grouped  that 
one  can  listen  to  two  or  more  services  at  the  same  time.  That 
results  in  waste  and  strife  and  confusion  and  every  evil  work. 
Those  that  should  be  sent  to  the  front  are  doing  garrison  duty. 
They  are  protecting  their  flocks,  not  against  the  wiles  of  the 
devil,  but  against  their  religious  neighbours.  Money  that  is 
needed  for  missions  is  kept  at  home  to  maintain  these  diff"erent 
establishments.  The  practical  effect  is  the  hindrance  of  the 
gospel.  Sensible  people  say,  "  Agree  among  yourselves  and 
then  come  and  teach  us. ' '  Much  is  spent  on  the  mission  fields, 
but  it  could  be  spent  with  much  greater  profit  if  all  who  go 
out  were  perfectly  joined  together  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the 
same  judgment,  and  if  all  spoke  the  same  thing.  The  king  of 
Uganda  said,  ''  How  am  I  to  know  what  is  right  and  what  is 
false?  Every  white  man  seems  to  have  a  different  religion." 
A  Brahmo  leader  said,  "  When  so  many  churches  and  sects 
offer  themselves  and  demand  allegiance,  India,  confounded  and 
vexed,  asks  which  is  the  true  church  of  Christ."  On  reach- 
ing England  the  same  man  said  he  found  himself  surrounded 
by  various  religious  denominations,  each  offering  him  its  own 
interpretation  of  the  Bible,  and  its  own  peculiar  Christian 
belief.  He  felt  as  a  man  in  a  vast  market,  he  was  vexed  with 
the  conflicting  wares  and  the  quarrelling  sects.  Some  Indians 
were  asked  if  they  wanted  schools.  They  said  No.  If  they 
had  schools  they  would  have  to  have  churches ;  and  they  did 
not  want  churches  ;  because  if  they  had  churches  they  would 
have  to  fight  like  Catholics  and  Protestants  about  God.  They 
said,  *'  We  do  fight,  but  we  do  not  want  to  fight  about  God." 
A  Rabbi  said,  "  Show  me  the  peaceful  reign  of  the  Messiah, 
and  I  will  become  a  Christian  and  not  before." 

The  missionaries  unite  as  far  as  they  can.  They  feel  the 
need  of  unity  as  the  friends  at  home  do  not.  They  meet  to 
pray  and  to  seek  for  it.  They  are  convinced  that  great  injury 
is  being  done  by  introducing  the  unhappy  divisions  of  Chris- 
tendom among  people  who  do  not  wish  them  and  who  cannot 


Christian  Unity  237 

understand  them.  They  want  to  give  a  pure  gospel  and  to 
present  a  solid  front  to  the  foe.  They  feel  that  they  could 
take  the  world  for  Christ  in  a  single  generation  if  they  were  a 
united  hand.  Their  strength  is  dissipated  and  Christ  is  dis- 
honoured by  division.  At  the  last  Ecumenical  Conference 
there  was  much  said  about  Comity.  One  speaker  said,  *'  I  like 
not  that  word;  it  is  simply  veneered  selfishness."  He  dis- 
liked it  as  much  as  he  did  the  word  toleration.  The  thing 
desired  by  all  is  not  comity  or  toleration  or  federation,  but 
unity  in  Christ,  so  that  all  shall  with  one  heart  and  one  mouth 
glorify  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  our  great  gatherings  we  sing,  "  ^Ve  are  not  divided  ;  all 
one  body  we."  Is  it  so?  Are  we  not  almost  hopelessly 
divided  ?  The  best  people  in  all  the  churches  are  coming  close 
together,  and  this  converging  march  is  going  to  continue. 
Nothing  can  stop  it,  because  God's  omnipotent  hand  is  behind 
it.  There  are  many  unmistakable  signs  of  promise.  We  see 
them  in  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  in  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association,  in  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union,  and  in  the  Young  People's  Society  of 
Christian  Endeavour.  By  keeping  some  truths  in  the  back- 
ground we  can  walk  and  work  together  in  a  measure.  But  it 
is  as  plain  as  plain  can  be  that  the  ideal  for  which  our  Lord 
prayed  is  still  far  in  the  distance.  So  the  work  at  home  and 
abroad  is  hindered. 

In  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  there  were  great 
and  good  men  sought  to  effect  the  union  of  Christendom. 
Councils  were  held  ;  correspondence  was  conducted ;  books 
and  pamphlets  were  published.  Calixtus  undertook  to  unite 
the  followers  of  Luther  and  Calvin.  He  was  denounced  as  a 
traitor  and  identified  as  the  beast  of  the  Apocalypse.  Durie 
undertook  to  unite  all  Protestant  bodies.  He  travelled  much 
and  conferred  with  the  leaders  in  church  and  state.  At  the 
close  of  his  life  he  complained  with  bitter  regret  that  his  labours 
were  lost.     The  king  of  Poland  thought  a  union  of  Catholics 


238  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

and  Protestants  not  impossible ;  the  sole  result  of  his  advocacy 
was  to  increase  the  split  and  the  hatred  on  both  sides.  Cyril 
Lucar  proposed  a  union  between  the  Greek  and  the  Reformed 
churches.  He  was  deposed  and  banished  fourteen  times  by 
the  Sultan ;  in  the  end  he  was  strangled  and  his  body  thrown 
into  the  sea.  Such  great  names  as  Stillingfleet,  Baxter,  Locke, 
Chillingworth,  Owen,  Wesley,  and  Robert  Hall  are  identified 
with  this  cause.  John  Wesley  desired  to  form  a  league, 
offensive  and  defensive  with  every  follower  of  Christ. 

Great  changes  have  been  wrought  in  recent  times.  It  used 
to  be  held  that  the  divided  state  of  the  church  was  a  provi- 
dential arrangement.  No  attack  was  permitted  on  this  feature 
of  the  church's  life.  A  few  years  ago  a  good  man  was  arraigned 
for  daring  to  say  that  sectarianism  is  sin.  He  was  put  out  of 
the  church  of  his  fathers  and  the  church  of  his  love.  Now 
the  most  popular  sentiment  in  any  great  assembly  is  the  unity 
of  all  believers.  No  other  calls  out  such  loud  and  long-con- 
tinued applause.  Many  causes  help  to  foster  the  spirit  of 
unity.  This  is  the  age  of  great  combinations.  Unity  is  in 
the  air  and  in  the  hearts  of  men.  Professor  Shields  of  Prince- 
ton said,  "  He  must  be  blind  indeed  who  does  not  see  that 
the  movement  for  church  unity  has  become  the  characteristic 
movement  of  modern  Christendom.  This  is  the  one  question 
which  moves  the  whole  church  evangelical  in  both  hemis- 
pheres. There  is  no  corner  of  the  Christian  world,  no  out- 
post of  Christian  missions,  to  which  it  has  not  penetrated; 
and  no  grade  of  the  ministry  from  the  pope  himself  down  to 
the  humblest  evangelist,  that  has  not  voiced  its  claims." 

There  is  not  only  a  desire  for  union  and  a  demand  for  union, 
but  in  some  instances  union  has  been  effected.  Thus  four 
Presbyterian  bodies  in  Canada  have  become  one.  In  that 
same  country  six  Wesleyan  bodies  have  been  consolidated. 
In  Canada  the  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists  and 
Wesleyans  are  arranging  a  further  union.  In  Australia  several 
bodies    have    united    under   one   banner.     In   Germany   the 


Christian  Unity  239 

Lutherans  and  Reformed  bodies  have  come  together.  In 
Scotland  two  of  the  most  influential  bodies  have  united  to 
form  one  body.  In  Japan  three  missions  cooperate  and  are 
known  as  The  United  Church  of  Christ  in  Japan.  Within  as 
many  months  three  Methodist  missions  have  united  to  form  one 
Methodist  Church  in  Japan.  In  Korea  four  Presbyterian 
missions  have  joined  their  forces  and  now  work  under  one 
organization.  In  India  several  unions  have  been  reported. 
Schaff  has  well  said  that  the  war  between  Rome,  Wittenberg, 
Geneva,  and  Oxford  will  be  fought  out  to  a  peaceful  end, 
when  all  the  churches  shall  be  thoroughly  Christianized  and 
all  the  creeds  of  Christendom  united  in  the  Creed  of  Christ. 

In  the  face  of  the  problems  that  confront  the  church  in  our 
time,  it  is  evident  that  we  should  sink  all  differences  as  far  as 
we  can  conscientiously  do  so  and  stand  as  one  man  for  the 
faith  of  the  gospel.  Not  only  in  the  face  of  these  problems, 
but  as  we  stand  before  our  God  to  whom  we  must  give  an  ac- 
count, we  should  do  this.  In  the  presence  of  a  great  task  or  a 
great  peril  we  know  how  people  get  together.  When  war  was 
declared  against  Spain  Mason  and  Dixon's  line  disappeared  like 
frost-work  from  a  window-pane  in  the  morning  sun.  In  a  mo- 
ment, in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  it  vanished  forever.  During 
the  siege  of  the  legation  in  Peking  national  lines  and  religious 
lines  were  forgotten.  In  the  presence  of  the  infuriated  Boxers 
all  felt  that  they  were  one  and  that  their  salvation  depended 
upon  their  standing  together.  Protestant  and  Catholic  and 
Greek  were  one  for  the  time.  During  the  siege  wherever  the 
line  was  hard  pressed  there  the  defenders  rallied,  regardless  of 
what  nationality  held  the  hard  pressed  point,  because  a  failure 
at  one  point  meant  a  failure  at  every  point.  One  of  the  in- 
teresting incidents  of  the  siege  was  connected  with  the  inter- 
national gun.  This  was  an  old  English  six-pounder.  It  was 
mounted  on  an  Austrian  carriage ;  it  was  loaded  with  German 
powder  and  Russian  shells ;  it  was  fired  by  the  trained  hand 
and  eye  of  an  American  gunner.     Had  it  not  been  for  the 


240  Where  the  Book  Speaks 

spirit  of  unity  that  prevailed  in  that  most  critical  period  all 
must  have  perished,  and  no  one  would  have  been  left  to  tell  the 
awful  tale  of  their  destruction. 

There  are  men  enough  and  there  is  money  enough  to 
evangelize  the  whole  world  if  the  spirit  of  Christ  were  the  in- 
spiration of  every  movement  that  bears  His  name.  If  the  men 
at  work  now  were  distributed  to  the  best  advantage  the  earth 
could  be  covered  with  gospel  ministries.  Then  the  world 
would  believe.  A  united  church  would  do  such  a  work  as 
would  put  critics  to  shame  and  to  silence.  They  would  fall 
down  and  would  say  that  God  is  here  of  a  truth.  And 
heathenism  that  is  now  united  and  blatant  and  defiant  would 
feel  that  its  hour  of  doom  had  come.  A  united  church  is 
needed  to  evangelize  the  world ;  a  united  church  is  abundantly 
able  to  do  it.  A  divided  and  discordant  church  is  shorn  of 
much  of  her  strength.  Her  efforts  are  puny  in  comparison 
with  what  they  might  and  should  be.  In  the  times  of  David 
and  Solomon  God's  ancient  people  were  united  and  invincible. 
One  chased  a  thousand,  and  two  put  ten  thousand  to  flight. 
After  the  time  of  Solomon  the  people  were  divided,  and  Judah 
vexed  Israel,  and  Israel  vexed  Judah.  The  glory  had  departed, 
and  the  enemies  came  in  and  carried  both  into  captivity.  A 
few  decades  ago  Germany  was  divided  into  two  score  sovereign 
states.  Germany  had  no  influence  either  at  home  or  abroad. 
Under  Bismarck  Germany  united,  and  now  Germany  is  one  of 
the  foremost  nations  in  the  world.  Not  long  ago  Italy  was  a 
mere  geographical  expression.  She  had  no  voice  at  the  round 
table  of  the  nations  to  which  any  attention  was  paid.  United 
Italy  is  another  matter.  A  wise  proverb  says  that  three  men 
pulling  together  are  worth  more  than  six  men  working  apart. 
The  reconstruction  of  Christendom  on  the  original  basis  would 
increase  the  power  of  the  church  tenfold,  at  the  least. 

The  conversion  of  the  world  to  Christ  is  the  one  far-off 
divine  event  to  which  the  whole  creation  moves.  It  is  the  one 
purpose  that  has  been  in  the  mind  of  God  since  the  time  the 


Christian  Unity  241 

foundations  of  the  earth  were  laid  and  all  the  sons  of  God 
shouted  for  joy.  The  accomplishment  of  this  mighty  task  de- 
pends largely  upon  the  unity  of  the  people  of  God.  It  was  for 
this  unity  that  our  Lord  prayed.  For  this  unity  believers 
should  pray  most  devoutly ;  they  should  do  all  in  their  power 
to  bring  it  about.  If  this  unity  is  attained  Christ  must  occupy 
His  rightful  place  in  the  church  as  a  whole  and  in  each  one  of 
its  members.  Let  Him  be  sole  Prophet,  Priest,  and  King ;  let 
His  self-sacrificing  love  be  the  inspiration  of  every  believing 
heart,  and  then  we  shall  soon  have  the  true  church  of  Christ 
on  earth,  and  we  shall  speedily  see  the  whole  world  redeemed. 
At  the  Federation  Conference  one  speaker  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  time  when  representatives  of  all  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  men  of  war  that  could  keep  rank,  came  with  a 
perfect  heart  to  Hebron  to  make  David  king  over  all  Israel. 
And  all  the  rest  also  of  Israel  were  of  one  heart  to  make  David 
king.  Tribal  rivalries  and  dissensions  and  jealousies  gave  way 
before  the  national  sentiment.  Under  David's  reign  the  king- 
dom extended  from  Damascus  to  the  river  of  Egypt.  What 
is  needed  now  on  the  part  of  those  who  would  make  Jesus 
King  is  that  they  forget  all  differences  and  all  dissensions  and 
unite.  By  so  doing  they  will  hasten  the  time  when  great 
voices  shall  be  heard  in  heaven  saying,  "The  kingdom  of  the 
world  is  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  His  Christ, 
and  He  shall  reign  forever  and  ever." 


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